Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure Extras
by Darksage95
Summary: Title says it. Consider this as the Bonus Features portion of Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure. Included inside will be extras that were never shown in the first book.
1. DaPPA Soundtracks

Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure Soundtrack

 _Listed here is a compilation of the instrumental music mentioned in the start of each chapter. The only exception is The Egg Travels, which serves as the theme song for the whole story. The music is only used to create the atmosphere. As such, the music belongs to the respective artists. In addition, some music from the movie are not included in this list or this story, as they are technically repeats of some of the songs. The songs belong to their respective owners/artists._

Instrumental:

Prehistoric Park Opening by Daniel Pemberton

The Egg Travels by James Newton Howard

Inner Sanctum/The Nesting Grounds by James Newton Howard

Aladar Meets the Herd by James Newton Howard

Aladar Meets the Misfits by James Newton Howard

Morning of the Crossing by James Newton Howard

Across the Desert by James Newton Howard

My Land was Destroyed by Epic Score

Never Give Up by Kay Tokner

Finding Water by James Newton Howard

Aladar and Neera by James Newton Howard

Aladar Moves the Herd by James Newton Howard

The Cave by James Newton Howard

The Carnotaur Attack by James Newton Howard

Breakout by James Newton Howard

The Truth by Audiomachine

Kron and Aladar Fight by James Newton Howard

Stand Together by James Newton Howard

Something to Believe In by Epic Score

Returning to the Park by Daniel Pemberton

 _Here is a list of songs comprised of various artists. They are not mentioned in the book, but they also help in setting the atmosphere. Each song describes a specific moment(s) in the story through the sound and lyrics. As mentioned before, I do not own any of these songs, as they belong to the respective artists._

Vocal:

Away I Go by Michaela Srumova (Theme song of the story)

We are Family by Keke Palmer and Isaiah Gripper (Describes the bonds between Hazel and her new friends)

This is War by 30 Seconds to Mars (An alternative theme song of the story)

Mountain Made of Stone by Indica (Theme song of Aladar)

Gift of a Friend by Demi Levato (Theme song of Hazel)

Catch My Breath by Kelly Clarkson (Theme song of Flia. Also works for Hazel, Neera, and Flia)

I Knew I Loved You by Savage Garden (The bond between Flia and Hazel and love at first sight for Aladar and Neera)

Counting Stars by Sugarcult (Basically Bruton's internal struggle in the cave and Hazel's guilt on concealing the truth about herself)

Yours to Hold by Skillet (Aladar and Neera)

No Giving Up by Crossfade (Aladar vs Kron at the lake)

Shut Up by Simple Plan (Kron's theme, particularly against Aladar and Hazel)

I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz (Alternative theme for Aladar and Neera)

Re-Education (Through Labor) by Rise Against (The trek across the desert)

Time of Dying by Three Days Grace (Showdown at the canyon)

Leave Out All the Rest by Linkin Park (Kron's final moments and death)

A Dangerous Mind by Within Temptation (Tribute to the predators in the story)

Once in Every Lifetime by Jem (Aladar's new role as leader of the herd and Hazel's resolve to save her friends)


	2. Extra Scene: Prologue

_**Here is the first deleted scene of Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure. It's not that different from the movie, but it does have a few differences. This is meant to precede the first chapter in the story. Disclaimer: Disney's Dinosaur and Prehistoric Park belong to their respective owners.**_

" _What is that thing?"_

Those were the words that echoed through her mind. That was all she was thinking of at the moment. Plio bent the leaves of the fan-like palms in front of her. The object she was staring at was round, yet it was narrow. The edges were rounded, like a stone, but it was not of a grey color. The hue was light brown, lighter than the dark brown on her face, hands and feet. Splotches of darkened tan spanned the thing like mud. It lay there, on the thickness of the branch like a stone, propped up by clumps of moss.

Lightning flashed above, illuminating the forest with a frightening flash. The roll of thunder echoed from above. Rain was coming soon. But that did not bother the denizens of this forest. Heavy rainfall was normal around this time of year. A normal thing to experience when you're a lemur.

Plio was a young female lemur in the prime of her adulthood. The hair all over her body, save for her hands, feet, and face, was nearly all white. The top of her head was the only thing that contrasted her color scheme, being a dark shade of chocolate brown. The parts of her body that did not have fur were nearly the same color as her head. Her eyes were of a bright yellow hue, like lemon, a trait that was uncommon of lemurs and something she inherited from her late mother.

A few leaves fell from above like dust. Looking up, the female could see a small hole in a portion of the canopy. No doubt that was where this thing fell. But the question on where it fell paled in comparison to where it came from. Her home was an island, cut off from the mainland that was inhabited by giant monsters. Water surrounded this place as a natural barrier to any hostilities from far beyond. Green spanned this small speck of land along with plentiful pools of freshwater. Vines hung from the trees, serving as places to climb for her kind. Insects lived within the ground, and sometimes flew in the air. Birds flocked here in all shapes and sizes. Food was aplenty for everyone. This island was her home, and was the only thing she had ever known.

Plio was taught by her father that anything that came from across the sea was dangerous. She was told to veer away from the wonders of beyond the island, as she would only find fear of the outside. But fear did not overpower her. In fact, she was curious.

Behind her, she could hear the whispers of two more creatures coming toward her. The female did not need to look behind to see who it was. Judging from the voices, she could tell they were members of her family.

The first voice was youthful, sounding like a little boy's. Her brother, Zini, no doubt. He was a young male, closing in on his adolescence. He was a sprightful male; adventurous, outgoing, daring, and unfortunately…flirtatious. The goldenrod colored primate had a thing for cute girls, even those older than him. While having a crush for ladies at his young age was acceptable, Plio hoped that antic would disappear when he got older. Zini was always trying to gain the affection of any pretty girl he saw, be they older than him or the same age. The elder female found that amusing, while her father found it distasteful.

Speaking of her father, he was also in the vicinity. Yar looked very much like her, except he sported brown on his head, forearms, and tip of his tail. Gray also dotted parts of his body and his face had wrinkles, indicating his old age. An elder male that had many years of leading the clan under his belt, he knew danger when he saw it. At least, danger was pretty much everything new he could think of. He had a small hint of fear for the sea, the air, and outside the island. Yar was wary of the creatures that lived on the outside. He viewed them as monsters that would devour anyone who comes close to them. Though he did his best to not show them, sometimes his feelings do rise to the surface. He was not all bad. He cared for his family, and of his clan. He was the patriarch after all. And as a leader, it was his job to ensure the safety of everyone.

Which included investigating the identity of this alien object.

"Yar, what is it?" Zini whispered.

"I don't know," he replied in a cautious, gruff voice.

To his and the scruffy-haired youngster's surprise, Plio leaped through the foliage. She treaded carefully on all fours towards the round thing. Zini leaned forward, wanting to get a better look at what his sister was up to.

"Plio! Get back here!" Yar ordered his daughter, fearing for her safety. "We don't know what it is!"

If his daughter heard him, she did not give any indication. She kept going, wanting to sate her curiosity. The whistled softly past her, but she could have sworn she heard Zini telling her to be careful.

As she treaded on the long winding branch, she could hear the soft rustling of branches and leaves from all around her. Whispers from others of her kind permeated through the air. She did not need to second-guess herself on what they were up to. They wanted to know what this alien item was.

Minutes passed. The lemur was closing in on the target. Thunder and lightning rumbled above. For a split second, she thought she saw the silhouette of something within the strange stone. It looked like an animal, nearly about the quarter of her size. She could make out a head and a tail. The rest of the image was muddled up from the casing that surrounded the creature. Was this thing alive? Did it die from the fall? Just what was it?

Her answer was about to come before her. She made it to the object. Plio leaned forward and sniffed at it. The white-furred female could make out the faint scent of sun, dirt, and leaves. It also contained a hint of a musky scent, nearly overpowering the scent of her own body, which was acclimated to the foliage and fruit of an island. But she could also sense the smell of ocean. From the smell she was picking up, Plio figured this thing came from a place with larger creatures, in a place filled with trees and patches of dirt no less. The smell of the ocean was perhaps from how it got here. How it got to the island was beyond her, but the only answer she could think of was something carrying this thing across the water. It could not have floated on the water because it would have ended up on the beach, not in the trees. Maybe it was a creature with wings, maybe it was the wind. It was anyone's guess.

A sudden jerk from the object along with a crack startled her. Plio drew back as the now broken portion of the thing protruded towards her and then back. There was something inside it after all. Determined to know the identity of this intruder, she peered closer at the object. The lemur observed every inch of the item. She looked at the top, she looked at the back, and even in front again. There was no change in its structure for the next few seconds.

Then, she placed her hand at the top of the casing. Using the gift of her opposable thumbs and fingers, she dug into the thick carapace and gently lifted a cracked portion of the odd-looking stone. If it was a stone, it should be motionless. It would not have anything living inside of it. Nor would it crack on its own.

Plio peered inside. Fluid fell from the cracks into the insides of the thing. Gurgling sounds emanated from within, along with the heavy sighs of some creature. It was hard to make out what was really in there, but she could have sworn she saw a leg and a tail.

The lemur hastily put the shell back and straightened back up. Now she knew this was no stone. She busily got to work on revealing the identity of this intruder.

"Dad, get over here," she said in a loud whisper.

On cue, her father snuck past the foliage that protected him from seeing the odd invader. Right when he was away from the leaves, his son used his agility to leap passed his legs and towards the scene. Yar had no idea if what his daughter was witnessing was safe at all, and he did not want his son to be in danger as well.

"Zini! It's not safe!" he scolded, pulling him back by the tail.

Zini folded his arms and pouted. "Oh, I always have to go when stuff's happening!"

The patriarch huffed and watched his son retreat back into the safety of the tree. Once he was gone, he proceeded to join his daughter's side. Her arms seemed to be close to her body, but he could see she was busy with something, whatever it was. Yar stopped short before her, body angled in a stance that would allow him for a quick getaway.

"Well, what is it?"

"It was an egg! Look!" Plio exclaimed and quickly turned. In her arms was a four-legged creature that neither of them had seen before. It was small with scales all over its body; any sight of hair was nonexistent. The head was mostly purple, except for the creature's back, which was the color of a calm sea. The arms were not like the hands of the lemurs because the creature had no thumbs. Nor did it have nails. They just had three large fingers in the front along with a small pinkie. To top that observation off was sharp spike on where the thumb should be. It did have a tail, but one that was much thicker in mass than the lemurs here. The creature's face and underbelly sported a cream color, a large contrast to the chocolate brown of the lemurs. Small bumps dotted the top of the alien's eyes like tiny rocks. The creature may be asleep, but even Yar could tell it had big eyes.

The elder male gasped and recoiled in fear. The monster that his daughter cradled in her arms brought about a significant amount of worry to his old heart. It came from far away, and his mind was filled with thoughts on what it was doing here.

"What?" Plio eyed her father with a look that made her view him as a bit crazy.

"It's a cold-blooded monster from across the sea!" he said, closing in on the baby creature. His eyes radiated that same fear that Plio knew as a child. Her father was always frightened of the unknown and would always be like this in his warnings. "Vicious, flesh-eating-!"

His explanation was interrupted by a belch from the baby. The invader had its eyes open just a smidge before resting again on the lemur's arm cradle. To the ancient primates, they saw the creature's eyes as a bright green, much brighter than the leaves of the forest.

"Ew," Yar's face contorted in disgust.

"Looks like a baby to me," Plio responded in a near chuckle.

"Babies grow up!" the patriarch warned. He slowly made his way up to his daughter and the baby that was in her arms. His overprotectiveness of his family and of the clan was clearly shown on his face. "You keep that thing, one day when we turn our backs, it'll be picking us out of its teeth!"

Gasps from the youngsters that arrived on the branch just moments ago echoed. Yar sharply turned, wanting to emphasize the importance of his warning. He pointed at the creature, and made his point.

"Things like that, eat things like us as SNACKS!" raised his arms up, indicating the symbol of a monster that the creature would become.

The children screamed and leapt away. Some of them hid behind the leaves nearby, while others made their way back to their parents in the trees.

Plio rolled her eyes. She never liked it when her father got like this. Always paranoid of the unknown. Honestly, there was no sense of wonder in this lemur. Clutching the baby closer to her, she asked her father the one question that she knew would have a definite answer, and one she did not like.

"So, what do we do?"

"Get rid of it!" he told her, looking back over his shoulder.

The female looked down on the baby then back at her father, who huffed after swishing his tail and hip in a serious motion. Among her kind, swishing your hip and moving your tail in a whip-like motion meant that the word you gave was final. While some viewed that action as unnecessary, others knew that when a lemur did that, they were not going back on their word.

"What has gotten into you?" Plio shook her head. She viewed this baby as something innocent. If it were a monster that would eat them all, it would have done so the minute it was removed from the egg. It would have sharp teeth and talons meant to render flesh from any creature in the area. This intruder had none of that.

Yar sighed. "Plio…"

"That thing is dangerous!" he turned, showing the fear once again in his sapphire eyes. His fang-like teeth were bared, showing the anxiety and apprehension.

Plio sighed and looked back at the baby that she so protected in her arms. She lifted the creature up until he was just about close to her face. The baby had no parents and would most likely die if no one looked after it. Not to mention she had never seen anything so adorable, save for the baby lemurs in her clan. How could something so innocent cause trouble? If the baby was reared the right way, then there would be no danger at all. Apparently, her father thought differently. Plio knew that if she continued with fighting against his beliefs, the situation would go nowhere.

"I'm sorry little one," she then gave the baby to Yar. The elder lemur grasped the child in his hands and wanted to look away. The very sight of the creature made him rear back in fright. Plio wanted to get her point across, and she thought this was the best way to do it. Lemurs were not killers, but they could defend themselves in their own ways. If her father would not agree with her, then she'll make him. "Okay. Get rid of it."

Plio turned around and gave the same gesture that Yar gave her when his word was final. Swaying her hip and tail to one side and then retreating to the other side of the branch to watch solidified her decision to allow her father to do the dirty work.

"Alright, I will," he huffed.

The lemurs around them in the trees chittered in anticipation for what the elder was about to do. They watched as he turned to the side of the branch for the depths of the forest floor below. He raised the infant until it was above his head. The position was perfect, all he needed to do was to drop the baby. That was all he needed to do and it would all be over.

As he prepared to drop the child, he found himself muttering. No one could hear what he was saying, but if anyone could guess, it was about killing the baby. What was even odder was his hesitation. He did not drop the baby immediately. If Yar was true to his word, he would have done so once the creature was over the depths. But he did not.

Yar could not believe what was happening. This was a creature from across the sea. This was a monster that could devour them all. Yet why was he not going through with killing it? The elder could not explain it at all. The more he thought on why he was not going through with it, the more frustrated he got.

He lowered the baby and looked at it with all seriousness. If he could not drop the baby, then he could just throw him hard on the branch. The force would be enough to break the bones, even its skull. Then it would be the end of it.

"You better hurry up Dad," Plio mused offhandedly. She waved at him in a gesture to get him to get on with it. "It looks HUNGRY."

Yar looked over at her and snorted. When he returned his gaze back to the baby, he found the infant waking up again. The alien invader was making coos and gurgles as it roused from its slumber. The eyes were opening again and Yar could make out the faintest green from before. Those eyes…those were just the cutest things. He had never seen a shade of green that bright. And the plumpness of the legs and arms, he could just play with them all day. This creature was so small; he could just cradle it if he wanted to. All of that made him smile…

The lemur stiffened up again, wiping that smile from his face. This was a monster. It needed to be destroyed. But…how could a monster be so terrifying if it was this cute? He watched the baby make a big yawn and then looked at him innocently. When he observed its mouth, he could not find the faintest indication of sharp teeth. From the stories he was told as a child, he knew that predators were born with teeth or weapons that would help them devour prey. Yet this one had no claws nor did it have any fangs.

Yar sighed and closed his eyes. His daughter was right. They were in no danger at all.

Then, he heard a new sound. It sounded like the trickle of water. What was weird was that it came out of nowhere. Yar opened his eyes and found the source; small bits of water were slithering down its…no HIS skin as he just found out. He did not need to think twice on what he was doing.

If he had bothered to look, he would have seen the faintest smile as he relieved himself of the liquid waste. Coupled that with the little shivers that followed and he could tell he was done.

Yar heard the faintest footfalls from nearby. His daughter slowly approached him, ready to get the baby back. He huffed again and gave her the baby.

"Here."

Plio gingerly retrieved the baby boy and once again cradled him in her arms. She snuggled her head under his as a sign of reassurance before pulling away. The female had the clear sign of a smug on her face. She was enjoying the victory of this moment.

"It's okay, we'll teach him to hate meat."

When she pulled away to go back to where she was, all of the young lemurs and a few adults gathered around her. They wanted to see the baby, or in this case, the newest addition to the family. Chitters and whispers went through the growing crowd as they watched the infant in her arms.

Yar raised a hand in an effort to stop them. "Watch his head!"

He received confused glances from the crowd, even his daughter. His wariness got the best of him when he said that. Realizing that he was going back on his own beliefs, he quickly rectified his speech. If the baby was going to stay with them, he needed to get used to his presence. He trusted Plio that she would teach him their ways…and just in case, to hate meat.

"I…I mean watch it," he said, turning to walk away. "He could bite."

As he moved away, he noticed his youngest son approach him to see the new baby. Or in this case, his new nephew. Though the idea of being an uncle seemed intimidating for a lemur his age, Zini had the biggest smile on his face. Yar thought to himself that if Plio was willing to raise him as one of their own, then everyone in the clan will contribute too.

The yellow lemur got close to the baby and put an index finger on the newcomer's mouth. He slowly opened it to see the slightest hint of any sharp teeth. He was surprised to see none.

"This monster's got no teeth!" he laughed and pulled his hand away to let the baby close his mouth.

"What's he gonna do? Gum us to death?" he eyed everyone around him for a response.

"Zini, come on," Plio rolled her eyes then returned her loving gaze to the baby. "Look at the sweet little face. Does that look like a monster to you?"

Zini shrugged his shoulders. "Well, are you at least going to name him? Or are we going to call him 'the baby'?"

His older sister chuckled and held her child close to her. "I've already thought of a name for him."

"Well? What is it?" The youngest male asked in earnest.

"Aladar," was her answer. "I'm going to call him Aladar."

Zini's eyes widened just for a moment. He had never heard the name before. Then again, this was Plio's baby. Who was he to judge? He folded his arms and watched his new nephew even further for the next few moments before returning his attention to his sister.

"Aladar? Okay, he's your baby. But he's not dangerous right?"

Plio shook her head. "No, he's not. We'll raise him as one of us."

"He's so tiny though," the younger brother pointed out. "How big is he going to get?"

Plio merely chuckled. "I don't know Zini. But does it really matter? You did start out as a tiny baby too."

"Yeah…I guess you're right," he playfully rolled his eyes.

She eyed the baby again. He seemed to be looking at his surroundings; from the foliage, to the branches above and around, and even the lemurs that surrounded him. He giggled when the children tickled him on the stomach. His little limbs flailed in the air and he gasped when they finished. Even Plio and Zini seemed entertained by their new family member.

In Plio's thoughts, she reminisced about a saying that her own mother taught her. One that she remembered to this very day. Holding this baby, she knew that they were right. Now that she was a mother herself, she vowed to love him as he was.

" _Some things start out big. And some things start out small…very small. But sometimes the smallest things, can make the biggest changes of all."_

Little did any of them know that their lives were going to change forever, the moment this baby hatched into the world.


	3. Extra Scene: Canyon Ambush

_**This scene is where Bruton is scouting the perimeter for any signs of water in the canyon. It happens after the herd gets their fill of water and before the mini-herd gets left behind. Again, nothing really new. Yes, it's short, but I wanted to at least give Bruton some love. Disclaimer: I don't own Prehistoric Park and Disney's Dinosaur.**_

Elsewhere…

Later that evening, a certain hefty _Iguanodon_ was scouting around the perimeter. His superior had ordered him to look for any signs of water or places to rest for the night. With Bruton was another scout from the herd, a younger _Iguanodon_ named Runac. He was a rookie, just chosen by the lieutenant from a handful of candidates he found last year. There were a total of at least twelve other scouts within the herd, half of them were the rookies that made the cut. The others failed and were dismissed due to their lack of willpower and stamina during the rigorous training period the year before. The training was harsh; they had to traverse the canyon and the mountains that surrounded their birth home, survive in the areas for long weeks, and battle each other in sparring contests.

This mission was no different than one of the training exercises. Bruton and Runac explored around the rugged cliffs and passages that bordered the lake area. The rock walls they passed were long and endless, making them feel like they were in an endless maze. Some passages were so narrow that they could only walk in a straight line. The ground crackled under their feet as they walked the barren labyrinth. Through the twists and turns, they found no sign of life or anything that would help them.

The recon was not going so well, however. The sun was touching the tips of the mountains in the distance. The sky was taking on the shades of orange, pink, and purple. The clouds were looming above the mountains, creating a beautiful, yet menacing landscape over the barren wasteland. Night was coming, which spelled relief for the herbivores as well as danger. While the end of the day brought about cool winds to combat the searing heat of the desert, it also brought about the risks of an ambush from any predators. This place was not safe, and they knew it.

"Bruton, we've been walking in circles," the tan and navy colored scout told his superior in a near whispered tone. He walked up ahead to join Bruton until he was basically touching hips with him. The scout was not sure if his boss knew this, but the landscape they went through looked the same as before. There were rocks and walls that looked the same, and that included their positions. Each turn brought them to another area that looked like the previous juncture. Not only that, but there were times when Runac would spot the faintest sign of a footprint on the ground, one that belonged to a large herbivore.

"There's no water here, I think we should get back!" he said, this time a little louder.

The second in command shushed him. Although he did not show it as they walked, he was feeling anxious himself. The entire time, he had his guard up. With the number of ledges and rocks here, it would be easy for anything to hide. This included predators. Bruton had been here before on numerous occasions, usually to find places to hide and some water. However, with the heat of the desert and fatigue upon him, he was finding it hard to even judge his sense of direction.

"Keep it down," Bruton said.

Just then, right when he said that, sounds of movement occurred nearby. A rustling of rocks coupled with a single footfall caught their attention. The warriors stopped and looked around. The place became quiet. There were no rocks falling, no sounds of the herd they left behind miles away, absolutely nothing. The silence would usually bring about peace on being the only ones there. But now, the quiet felt different…it felt eerie.

What the herbivores did not know was that they were being stalked the entire time.

Bruton and Runac raised their heads and sniffed at the air. Their keen sense of smell never failed them before. The smell of rocks wafted through the air, coating the area with the smell of earth. But now, something was off. A different scent was in the atmosphere. It smelled rotten, putrid, and overpowering. The smell made them sick to their stomachs. They knew of this sickly, sweet odor. It was that of death and decay.

"Let's get out of here," the elder ornithopod ordered.

Suddenly, something yanked the younger scout away from his officer. The _Iguanodon_ let out panicked bellows as he was dragged towards his death. Bruton turned around and watched his underling disappear around a darkened corner under an arch. He could not see it very well, but he noticed a dark shape pull the poor dinosaur away. The dust trail he left behind from the dragging lingered in the air for a moment before disappearing. The hoof trails were imprinted on the ground from his feet scuffing the gravel for a foothold. Just as the bellows sounded from the victim, they disappeared in an instant.

Bruton heard a growl from ahead of him and turned to see the source. His face turned into one of horror as the form of a large _Carnotaurus_ rushed up to the warrior. Its mouth revealed the large, triangular bones that could rip apart flesh in an instant. The sticky, rancid saliva fell from the sides of its jaws. The hot stinking breath blew onto the herbivore's face, making him nauseas.

The _Iguanodon_ gasped and made way for the sloping cliff near him. A few feet away, the other Carnotaur that dragged his poor scout from his reach was having its fill. If he had the mind to turn around, he would see the predator ripping apart the meat from the unfortunate soul's body. The labyrinth that was once quiet and peaceful turned into a kill zone that reeked of blood and gore.

The ornithopod needed to warn Kron and the herd. The Carnotaurs were only restricted to the wasteland that bordered their feeding grounds. Before, they managed the seal off the entrance that granted the predators access into the area by causing a landslide of their own. So their haven was safe for many years. They would never get up this far north unless something drove them out. Something like…

Bruton needed to get to the herd. He needed to warn Kron. They all needed to leave now! The Fireball decimating the land must have also allowed their most hated enemies to escape their confines.

As Bruton desperately climbed the rocks, he could hear the predator close in on him. The beast's breathing and the clatter of the boulders falling down were clear indications that his enemy was closing in. Finding water and shelter was of least priority now. His very life was important now.

Just when he managed to heave himself over the ledge to get to the narrow passage that led out of the rocky maze, Bruton felt an intense stinging sensation on his back. Numerous teeth became embedded into his hide as the Carnotaur chomped on him. The predator caught up to him when he finally made it out of the area.

The lieutenant could only look back to see the horrifying yellow eyes of his killer. He closed his eyes and hoped that the creature would end him now.


	4. Extra Scene: Eema Gives Up

_**This scene happens after the mini-herd uplifts Hazel's spirits and before they encounter Bruton. It was based off of one of the deleted scenes in Disney's Dinosaur. Disclaimer: I do not own Disney's Dinosaur and Prehistoric Park. Only the characters I created.**_

Friends are those a person could depend on. They're people…or sentient prehistoric creatures in Hazel's case, which would help those recover from bad situations. Friends are there to guide those in the right direction and to help solve life's obstacles. This was something Hazel knew very well. The next few minutes, everyone found out, proved to be a test on the bonds of friendship.

Eema made her way to the front of the group in her lumbered gait. Being an elderly woman, she had lost her speed to the ages. Her short, stout legs hindered her movement, but not so much as to prevent her from walking. Everyone made sure to give her some space when she began to sniff at the ground.

The _Styracosaurus_ had occasionally been serving as the impromptu guide for the group. No one argued against her judgement when they were first left behind by the herd hours ago. Whenever they came to an area that had multiple passages, they would have to stop in order to let Eema do her work. She had been through previous migrations before, and her sense of smell did not wane over the years. The elder knew the scent of a large group of animals from the years she spent with them.

Except now her tracking skills were being challenged.

Eema let out a regretful sigh. "What's the use?" she looked up ahead at the darkened pass. "I lost them!"

That statement caused the lemurs on her back to hug each other in fear. Suri being the most nervous out of the whole group. Her grandfather and her mother kept her close to ease her trembling. The only one who was the least frightened physically was Zini, who just looked on at the path they were taking. To everyone who had been watching him, he had zoned out until Eema decided to speak.

"How do you lose a whole herd?" Yar huffed at the old woman.

The stout ceratopsian raised her head and turned around. Noticing that she was going the other way, the primitive mammals dismounted from her with a few leaps. Landing on the cold, hard ground nimbly, they turned to see their guide lie on her stomach away from them. Everyone looked at her with a mixture of shock and confusion as to what was going on.

"Well it ain't easy and if you think you could do a better job, go do it!" she spat at the lemur patriarch with a hint of venom in her tone.

Aladar shook his head and angled his body so that he was now facing that direction. "Eema, what are you doing?"

Hazel did the same and crossed her arms over her chest. The human bore an irate expression at the guide who decided to walk away on her job. "Yeah, the Nesting Grounds is in the other direction."

"Well if I'm going to die," she started and peered over to her back at them. Eema pawed at the ground as a way of patting her own sleeping space. "I'd like to at least choose a spot. And this looks as good as any."

The human could not help but face palm. Eema, their only guide who was the best one to recognize the scent of the herd, was now giving up. This kind of treatment they were receiving was starting to give Hazel a headache. The day for her had not been the best after all. First there was the water problem at the lakebed and having to dodge away from an incoming wall of thirsty herbivores, then there was her immediate banishment from the herd just for scolding the leader on his leadership skills, and now there was the problem of being lost.

To make matters worse, the clouds above were now looming over them. A stroke of lightning illuminated the landscape, creating the scene that was best fit for a deleted scene in Sleeping Beauty. Maleficent would have named this place as her backyard. The ominous mountains, the craggy rocks all around them, and the treacherous cliffs they avoided before all made the area that much more hazardous. Couple those with the threat of predators and they were considered a walking snack bar.

Seeing the elder give up and the human rubbing her head of the oncoming headache, Aladar went over to the huddled lemurs before him with a look of disappointment. Even Baylene was ticked off at Yar for saying such a thing and went over to them too. Plio, Suri, and Zini were just the same. The only one left out to sit next to Eema was Url, who played with a rock he found with his paws.

"Nice going Yar," Aladar told him. His tone of voice sounded condescending and had a hint of disappointment. In fact, he was actually keeping his anger towards his adopted grandfather at bay to avoid making the situation any worse with an argument.

Plio crossed her arms and gave him a crossed look. "Dad, you apologize!"

"Why should I apologize? She's the one who got us lost," he defended with a wave of his arms.

The _Brachiosaurus_ near them quickly craned her neck down so that she could be closer to their eye level. The appearance of the gentle behemoth surprised the lemurs, making them jump a little. "A gentleman would apologize!"

Hazel, wanting to add to the crusade to get the old male primate to reconcile with the _Styracosaurus_ , took a few steps forward until she was mere inches away from the group. "And she's our guide! Because of you, we're lost in the middle of nowhere without a lead!"

The lemur then shot them a face of pure irritation. "Keep your long neck," he spat at Baylene then turned his attention to the human girl near them. His pissed expression reminded Hazel of a feral cat that was backed into a corner. While that unnerved her a little, she stood her ground nonetheless. "And your stuck-up attitude out of my business!"

Baylene and Hazel gasped at the condescending command of the primate. The sauropod reared her head back until she was at her full height, but she still kept her eye on the whole bunch. While she was better at keeping her temper at a minimal level, Hazel was having an even rougher time with the insult she just got.

"Oh! Why you-!" Baylene sputtered as she tried to comprehend the language she received.

"Excuse me!?" the human shrieked, nearly breaking the ears of each and every one of her friends. "I'm not stuck-up! It's just the idea of getting lost is making me all jittery is all!"

"And you should be!" he shook his head in agreement at that statement then returned his attention to all of those around him, save for the _Styracosaurus_ that excluded herself from the group. "We can't stay here! Those Carno-monsters are out there!"

Aladar could not help but let out a frustrated groan at the pickle they were in. "Keep this up and we'll kiss the herd goodbye."

He was right and everyone knew it. The more they stayed there, the further away the herd would be. Each minute they spent in that dark ravine meant that their chances of salvation would diminish. Not only that, but predators may be lurking about, ready to pounce on the unsuspecting misfit herd.

"You don't need to be carting my old carcass around! You go on ahead!" Eema scoffed at them.

"Sounds good to me-OW!" Yar commented but was then interrupted by a jab to the stomach by his daughter's elbow. Once again, the lemur matriarch gave her father a scolding look on his behavior, which made him settle down like a child in a grounding. Those around her said nothing as he deserved that kind of treatment. She then returned her attention to the worn-down ceratopsian.

"Forget it! We're not leaving without you!" she pleaded.

"Then pull up a rock and make yourself comfortable!" the begrudging ornithischian spat at them, not wanting to move at all from her spot or her decision.

Just then, Url appeared next to Eema, only to drop a rock next to her face. The dog-like Ankylosaur gave her a pleading gaze. His puppy look peered into his master's soul in an attempt to get her to get up. He then went over to the right side of her face and nudged in an attempt for her to comply. Eema gave no indication to his plight and remained where she was. The armored one let out a whimper and left her to stay under the sauropod's legs for protection.

"Oh please Eema!" Baylene begged after watching her companion's pet go under her girth for protection.

"Nope!" she stubbornly yelled back, not looking at either of them.

"Oh what shall we do?" the sauropod cried, worried over the predicament they were in.

Frustrated at where this was going, Hazel breathed out sharply and made her way to the lazy ceratopsian. She flexed her arms in front of her and interlocked her fingers forward, creating a little cracking sound before letting them relax at her side. "Well here's what she's going to do..."

To everyone's surprise, and Eema's amusement, the human started to push against the old lady's body. Her grunting and yells accompanied her attempt to get the "retired" guide to get back on her feet seemed futile, as her strength and body size were laughable compared to the larger members of the mini-herd. She moved from one area of the horned one's body to another, pressing her hands against the form and even putting her back against her just to get her going.

"She's going to get up and lead us to the Nesting Grounds before any predator comes to turn us into mincemeat!"

The elder laughed condescendingly. "Do what you can hun. I'm not moving from this spot."

"Don't test me lady!" she wrapped her arms around the posterior of the dinosaur. Her arms may not encompass the entire shape, but at least she held on. Though her efforts to push her forward from her butt just made Eema snicker quietly. "You are going to guide us out of here and you are going to like it!"

The minutes wore on. Hazel's endeavor to get her friend going had little to no progress. The _Styracosaurus'_ form was just too much for the little human. The girl expected her attempt to fail, but she had hoped it would inspire the dinosaur to keep going. The only thing it did, however, was to provide her with some amusement.

The thunder above grew louder and louder. Everyone became on edge at the thought of being caught in an unrelenting storm. While the thought of getting water sounded promising, the rain would just wipe away any track or clue the herd left behind for them, if there were any. The water would be a double-edged sword, something neither of them wanted at the moment.

Finally, after what seemed to be forever, Hazel groaned and fell onto the ground. Her rear met the rocky earth, sending a pang of shock through her body. She grunted as her butt ached, but that mattered little to her now. She was too tired to continue in getting Eema to stand, and she was definitely too tired to get into argument with her. Legs spread out and arms hanging limply at her sides, she breathed out in huffs while she recovered from her trial.

"Aw, you done?" Eema sassed at the human that sat just feet away from her head. "I was actually enjoying that."

"Heck no!" her head shot up and eyed her in annoyance. Her gasps did not let up at all as she caught her breath. "Just...catching my breath... You're going to get up...whether you like it or not!"

When she was about to get up to give the defensive quadruped a piece of her mind, Hazel heard footsteps go around her and a soft nudge from her right side. To her surprise, Aladar had snuck up behind her and gently pushed her with his snout to get her moving. The human nearly fell over as she tried to fight the temptation to stand up and walk away.

"Come on Hazel...I don't think she's going to get up. She's already made up her mind," he told her.

Hazel stood up and walked away from the ceratopsian in defeat. The ornithopod followed close by and watched as she muttered all sorts of complaints about how she could have handled the situation. Aladar could not help but admire the human's effort in the situation. Even though she was small in stature, she was of a strong mind and spirit.

He went over to her side and bent down to whisper in her ear. "Good try though."

While the girl was still upset over the whole amusing fiasco, she could not help but shoot him a smile. She found herself somewhat eased by his comment for reasons unknown. Perhaps it was his optimistic attitude that did it? Or was it his calm demeanor? She had no idea. What mattered was that he was willing to help his friends out in any way. Which led Hazel to think back to the predicament of how this was going to be solved.

"Well, do you know of a way to resolve this?" she pointed out as she took her place in between the lemurs and the _Brachiosaurus_. Unlike his previous words, which he said in a whisper, she decided to say that in her normal volume.

The _Iguanodon_ perked his head up and gave everyone a pondering face. The expression confused the group on his motives, save for Eema who did not have the mind to pay any sort of attention to them. "Hm...Okay then. Looks like we'll just have to go on without her!"

The mini-herd watched in astonishment as the unofficial leader of their herd turned to walk off. All of them hurried over to his side, wanting to know what made him say that and give up in the matter. The _Iguanodon_ held his head high and bore a smile on his face, something that made the group think he had gone crazy.

The _Styracosaurus_ let out a quiet gasp as she watched her own group walk away. They had ignored her suggestion to stay and lie with her to avoid stressing their bodies further. While she wanted to stay behind because of Yar's insult and her apparent uselessness he pointed out about her, she did not want to be left behind. Her stubbornness in the matter eventually won over her mind and prompted her to stay at her spot.

"Have you lost your senses?" Baylene questioned the smug blue-green dinosaur after taking her place next to him as they walked on.

Aladar gestured her to come closer with two waves of his head. As a result, the sauropod leaned down until she was at eye level with him. The lemurs, human, and even the Ankylosaur gathered close to him to join in on the conversation. Except for Plio and Hazel, they had no idea as to why he was resorting to this kind of behavior. It was not like him to give up so easily. The lemur matriarch and human, on the other hand, sensed something was amiss and suspected he had some other motive.

"Work with me," he whispered to the sauropod.

The towering behemoth's eyes lit up in realization. Hearing that made her think that he had a plan. And it wasn't just her either. Everyone knew that he had something that would win Eema back to their side. The lot wanted to contribute as well.

Baylene nodded and smiled. "Ah yes, quite right."

Hazel went over to him until she was mere inches from his right foot. Aladar caught sight of this and looked at her with the same optimism he had with the _Brachiosaurus_. "You sure this plan of yours is going to work?"

Her answer was in the form of a nod. "It will."

The plan started off with Baylene peering her head over at the lazing _Styracosaurus_. Her grey neck over her body made her appear like a wave about to crash onto a beach. The way she gracefully angled her neck like that amazed those around her, even though they had seen her do it numerous times during the journey. Even Hazel was still amazed, though she was used to it after watching the titanosaurs back at Prehistoric Park perform that action.

"I've enjoyed your acquaintance Eema! Good day!" she bid her stubborn companion farewell.

The nineteen year old turned and waved a hand at the old woman. "Later Eema! Hey, we'll be sure to drop by at your funeral so we can give you some flowers!"

While the ancient creatures had no idea what a funeral was, they knew that it was something she used to add on to the effort. They wanted to question her what that term meant, but they had more pressing matters to take care of. All of them gathered around Aladar, awaiting the next step in the plan.

The lemurs hopped over until they were in front of their adopted family member. Hazel and Baylene stayed close to Aladar; the gentle giant at his left and the time traveler at his right. The only one that scampered about without a care in the world, and had a rock in his mouth as a toy he could play with later, was Url.

"Alright listen up! We're going to have to pick a new guide! I know Eema's going to be hard to replace but...at least there's plenty to choose from," he announced as he looked over at his potential candidates.

The first one to speak up on that matter was none other than Zini. The yellow-furred simian had remained quiet the past few hours and decided to voice out his opinion. Chest in and arms on his hips to make himself look confident, he spoke up, making the rest of the lemurs and the others watch him for what he was going to say.

"Look no further! I'll do it!" he pointed at himself with his right thumb.

Aladar chuckled then cleared his throat. "Uh…thanks Zini. But I need you to keep an eye on Suri and everyone else here."

His confidence disappeared as his body and esteem deflated. He pouted and looked away from him in shame. His niece, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by the suggestion. Suri kept her spirit up and voiced her opinion next, making Zini watch her from behind.

"Okay! Well, then Url can be the guide!"

The _Iguanodon's_ eyes widened at that suggestion. He looked over at the Ankylosaur, who had appeared next to Hazel at the mention of his name. The human took a step back to allow Url more space to "kiss up" to his new friend. The idea of allowing this playful, innocent, yet ignorant dinosaur lead the group sounded too much to comprehend. However, Aladar kept to his plan and utilized Suri's innocent idea.

"Uh...I don't know, he might be a bit overqualified," he pointed out and watched as the armored one scampered about the group once more.

"What about me? I'm pretty good at reading the terrain," Hazel offered, folding her hands over her chest and putting on a smug expression.

"Thanks Hazel," Aladar said then politely turned down the offer. "But you'll be our scout. We'll need you to keep an eye out for places where we can rest...or places we can avoid."

The budding adult shook her head in bewilderment. She had just been stripped of that position for telling off on Kron for leaving her friends behind earlier today. Yet, he was giving her that position? Sure, this was all part of the plan to get Eema to guide them again, but she still couldn't believe he was doing this. Not to mention it was partially her fault that the herd left them behind.

"Aladar, are you sure? I mean, you already know what happened to me. And I'm at my best when I'm with Flia," she explained. Saying her scouting partner's name caused her to feel downtrodden. The thought of her best friend going off with the herd and taking the hits from her superior rather than allowing her partner to receive that punishment was unbearable.

Sensing the coming sorrow on Hazel, Aladar quickly rectified that before it got any worse. "Hazel, if anyone here is the best candidate for that job, it's you. Besides, your small size and nimble movement is perfect for the job. No predator's going to see you at first glance."

Hazel could not help but blush at that reasoning. Caught up in his optimism again, she rolled her eyes and smiled, trying to hide any sense of embarrassment. "Thanks Aladar."

He gave her a wink before resuming his part of the plan. "So for our guide, I was thinking of someone older, more experienced in life's little dilemmas."

If any of them bothered to look back, they would see Eema making a small grin at those words. She tried to mask her pride, but her attempts weren't working. She could feel the urge to rejoin her friends in the search for the herd. The _Styracosaurus_ began to feel a sense of belonging, and if she thought on it even further, a desire to remain with them.

"Who could that be?" Aladar perked his head up in wonder. He then returned his attention back on the ground. More specifically, to where the lemurs were. "What about Yar?"

Eema gasped. Yar? Lead the mini-herd to salvation? His attitude and laughable sense of direction would just get everyone into a worse situation. Even towards a Carnotaur's stomach! No, that was something she could not allow. Not in a million years.

"An excellent choice!" he beamed at his adopted grandson.

"Yar couldn't find his shadow on a sunny day!" the _Styracosaurus_ in the back hollered out. She quickly hoisted herself back onto her feet and lumbered her way back to the front of the group. "I think I'm getting my second wind."

"Good, because I would have showed you up!" Yar reputed at the elderly woman as she passed by them. The lemurs then used their nimble movements to get themselves back onto the ceratopsian's back, eager for the comfort of her protected frill.

"In your dreams grandpa!" she answered back at him.

The others in the mini-herd watched Eema walk on ahead for a moment before making their way to join her. Satisfied at their victory, they were happy to know that hope was still with them. So long as they had each other, they could overcome any obstacle. What they did not know, however, was that they had more trials coming their way.


	5. Extra Scene: Salvation in Darkness

_**This scene was meant to occur right after Hazel found her flashlight and before the the arrival at the Nesting Grounds. Disclaimer: I do not own Disney's Dinosaur and Prehistoric Park, except for the characters I created. I also do not own any songs used in the story. They belong to their respective owners.**_

The trek through the caves continued on without much excitement. Darkness and rocks everywhere were the typical things anyone would see in a seemingly never ending cave. The tunnels and caverns they traversed looked so similar to each other that some were starting to feel they were going in circles. Without the indication of natural light, no one could tell where they were exactly going or what time of day it was.

The only consolation they had was the artificial luminescence Hazel carried with her. While they could see in the dark perfectly, the added light helped the prehistoric creatures in finding their way around a little better. Some time ago, they were in a tunnel that was filled with stalagmites and stalactites nearly intersecting each other. Hazel's contribution by showing with paths to cross and which to avoid allowed for easy access through the caverns.

However, that did not resolve the need for the more physical necessities, something a little flashlight could not fix.

"Is anyone here thirsty?" Zini asked from atop Baylene's back.

The new area they had arrived to consisted of a fork between three tunnels. A small group of stalagmites dotted the left corner of the wall like large teeth. While all three of them looked nearly identical in appearance, they had a few minute differences. The one on the left had slightly more rocks than the other two that spanned nearly the whole interior of the tunnel. The middle one looked more open and easily traversable. The one on the right, however, was marked with two stalagmites that stood guard on both sides of the tunnel like ancient sentinels.

The mini-herd stopped their walking as they awaited on which tunnel to take. Because they had taken so many tunnels a while ago, their sense of direction was becoming even more muddled. None of them knew if they were going the right way, but the only thing that kept them going was the hope that they would reach the other side.

"Zini, that's the third time you said that," Yar blatantly retorted to the younger male. Out of annoyance from hearing that complaint again, he slammed his head on a gap atop the ceratopsian's horn frill. "We're ALL thirsty!"

"Sorry I can't help it!" he whined with his hands now coursing through his head. "I couldn't stand not having water when we were burning up days ago. NOW I REALLY NEED SOME!"

"Hun, why didn't you drink some water when we were back at the start of this cave?" Eema remarked in a sassy, yet lectured, fashion. "You should have thought of that before so that you'd do us a favor of keeping your mouth shut!"

Suri, who was quiet nearly the whole time since the incident at the beginning of the cave, decided to speak up for herself. "Um...couldn't we just go and find some water here?"

The _Styracosaurus_ mumbled a little complaint before replying to the younger female lemur. "We could do that, but then we'd get even more lost."

"We're already lost!" Yar argued, practically smacking his palm on the elder's horn frill. The veteran herd member shrieked at the sudden smack on her head and let out an irritated growl. "Least we could do is find some water in here before we all die in the dark."

"Oh please don't say things like that!" Baylene whined. Out of fear, she stopped her trepidation through the rocky tunnel and took a few steps back. "I don't want to die in here! I will not offer my body to some creature that lives in these dark caverns!"

"Come on Baylene!" Eema commanded the sauropod in the back with such force to rival Kron's. "We are not going to die so long as we keep going!"

"We keep going and we're going to die anyway!" the weathered lemur protested.

"Everyone please! Can't we just discuss this in a more practical manner?" Plio urged with a slight wave of her hands. She was not much for arguing, but the fact that her family was now involved meant that a verbal storm was now upon them. It was not long before the whole tunnel was alit with the cries of anger.

The bickering went on for another few minutes. Pretty soon, the entire group was in on the argument about staying to find water or continuing on their trek to find the exit from the caves. Yells, hollers, even a few bellows now echoed through the tunnels. Any creature that was within the vicinity could clearly hear the shouts and complaints of a small group of misfit beings going on about their views of survival.

The only ones that wisely kept out of the argument, mostly due to shock and horror, were a certain blue-green _Iguanodon_ , an Ankylosaur that had the mindset of a dog, and a lone human girl. They stood off to the side near a wall as they watched their friends continue to tear apart the bonds they created not too long ago. Though Url had no idea on what to do and just lay on his stomach to await his master's call on leaving, Hazel and Aladar thought otherwise.

Both of them stared at each other for what seemed like minutes. They wanted to get their friends going so they could find the Nesting Grounds. But at the same time, they could not ignore the plight of being deprived of the necessities to live. Silence befell them both. They were at least a few miles away from the entrance to the cave, where there was water aplenty due to the huge rainstorm from before. But going back would mean running the risk of encountering that _Carnotaurus_ again. The only other option at the moment would be to keep going on finding an exit, but doing so would cost a considerable amount of time.

Unlike her suffering companions, Hazel was well equipped with the supplies needed to survive in a cave setting. She still had some water left from their pit stop at the lake along with a few rations of food. However, revealing them to her friends would betray the trust she had built with them. The collection she had in her bag was only enough for herself as well. She may be the least thirsty and hungry of the group, but that did not stop her from worrying about the situation they were in. She watched Aladar, eager for an idea that would help in this crisis.

Just when things were looking bleak, something caught the blue ornithopod's attention. He turned his head towards the tunnel on the very right. Seeing her friend do this piqued the girl's curiosity.

"Aladar? What is it?" she half-hollered her question, trying to get it over the cacophony of disputes.

"I thought I heard something…" he told her. He tried to listen for it again, but the increased volume of their friends arguing was interfering with his attempt at getting an answer. Determined to reclaim the peace needed, he yelled at them to stop.

"Everyone! Quiet down!" the proclaimed leader ordered. If any of them heard his plea, they gave no indication of it as they continued to bicker on.

"Guys!" he hollered at them again. He received no reply whatsoever once more.

Tired of them arguing amongst themselves, Aladar stood tall and took in a deep breath, ready to unleash a bellow to quiet the small mass. Using the gift of voice he was given since his birth, he prepared to do what he needed to do in order to bring them to his attention. Unfortunately, his attempt was thwarted when some other sound beat him to it.

The sound was unlike anything they had heard before. It was loud and piercing, like a shriek. However, it was not raspy like a pterosaur's, nor was it deep like the honk of a _Parasaurolophus_. It was not even the equivalent of a bleat from a _Stygimoloch_. The new voice had a bit of a tune to it, one that started from a low pitch and then reached a higher one.

When Aladar glanced at the source of the occurrence, he was surprised to see that it was coming from his human friend Hazel. His observations of her actions included her putting two of her fingers, both from each hand, into her mouth in order to create that strange sound. This was the first time she had created a bellow of her own, save for the screams that she could make. In fact, she was the first human he had encountered in his whole life. He watched in astonishment as their companions immediately quieted down, all the while contorting their faces in pain at the new annoyance.

The bickering of the companions ceased as intended. The high-strung whistle Hazel created had its desired effect as they were now brought to their attention. It may have lasted for no more than a few seconds, but it seemed longer than that. The girl opened her eyes, inhaled slightly, and relaxed before yelling at everyone in front of her.

"The hell is going on here!? You lot are acting like a bunch of kids! Your bickering is using up your precious energy that can be used to help find the exit out of this deathtrap!"

Hazel's reprimanding caused the elders and the lemurs to look down in shame. She was right after all. They had been standing there, complaining like younglings when they could be doing something about the situation. All of them felt embarrassed as they allowed a being that was barely into her adulthood put them down for doing the wrong thing.

With the mass now quieted down, the girl looked over at Aladar with a small smile. Though it was brief, the dinosaur could clearly see her exhaustion in the matter. She even grabbed for the flashlight she held under her arm and let it relax at her side.

"Okay...you were saying?"

"Um...thanks Hazel," he told her, trying to keep the new fear of angering the human under control. He may have not caused her to get angry, but from this moment, he knew better than to anger someone with a large amount of willpower.

"I was trying to say I heard something," Aladar explained, pointing his head towards the rightmost tunnel.

At that moment, everyone in the group fell silent. Hazel pointed her flashlight over to the distant tunnel to get a better view of it. In the pit of her stomach, she worried that some predator was going to come out and attack them. She listened hard for any sign of the sound that attracted the _Iguanodon's_ attention, but only heard the echo of water dropping from some other part of the cave.

"Goodness gracious, what is making that noise?" Baylene inquired.

"Yeah, sounds like it's coming from over there!" Suri pointed out with an outstretched arm in that tunnel.

"Hear what? I don't hear anything," Hazel slightly whined. She regretted that her species did not have the luxury of enhanced senses like her prehistoric companions. All she heard was complete silence.

"It sounds like...something's rushing over there," Aladar tried to explain, taking a quick glance at the human nearby before looking back at the tunnel.

The human tensed up. Whatever her friends were hearing could be anything. If not a predator stomping their way towards them, it could be something worse. Perhaps it was rocks falling from another part of the cave, signaling another roof collapse. Maybe it was an earthquake? She really wished she brought an audio dish with her.

"What, like rocks falling?" she guessed. Her response came in the form of the ornithopod shaking his head, much to her relief.

"No, it's nothing like that. We should go and check it out," the cerulean one suggested.

"And risk running into danger? Aladar, we're trying to get out of here, not getting ourselves killed in the process!" Eema argued. She stomped one of her hoofs as a way of saying she defended her belief. "I say we leave it be and keep going. Besides, you heard what Yar said. We're already lost, and following whatever that is will get us more lost."

Said lemur scoffed under his breath before blatantly commenting on the elder ceratopsian's remark. "Finally, we agree on something…" His response was met by an elbow jab to his chest by his daughter, who apparently took her place next to him to get a better view of the area. Yar yelled in pain for a second before rubbing his side with a palm.

"It doesn't sound like a predator," Aladar observed the tunnel with a bit more scrutiny. "If it was, we'd be hearing footsteps. No, it's definitely different. We should investigate to see if it'll help us or do us harm."

"Aladar! I said this once and I'll say it again!" the _Styracosaurus_ stubbornly told him. "We should leave it alone and be on our merry way!"

While Eema was going off about how straying away from their course would lead them to their deaths, Hazel had been observing her surroundings for anything that would help in the situation. Because they were in a cave with an expansive tunnel system, anyone could easily get lost. They were even relying on gut instinct when navigating through the caverns. There were times when they encountered some dead ends and they had to backtrack. Doing so ate up most of their time, much to everyone's displeasure.

When her eyes fell on the stalagmites off to the other wall, she noticed a few pointed chunks that used to be a part of those formations. Her observations came in the form of a few broken spikes that looked like a dinosaur's dulled horn. Her light now shining on a few of the broken rocks, she rushed over there to investigate.

The sound of her retreating footsteps attracted the attention of the head _Iguanodon_. Curious as to what she was doing over at a pile of useless rocks, the quadruped made his way over to where she was. What he found was the human throwing large chunks of rocks away after inspecting them. The clatters of the thrown rocks echoed in the cavern.

"Hazel, what are you doing?" he asked her.

The girl exclaimed in a whispered tone and stood straight up. Turning around, she showed a small pointed rock that could easily fit in her palm. The chunk that was once part of a stalagmite looked like it could pierce anyone's hide, but knowing Hazel, he knew she would never do such a thing,

"Just what I needed," the human smirked.

"What for?" Aladar questioned, eyeing the cone-shaped object.

"Something to help us out in this situation," the Asian explained. She then gazed over at the other members of her troupe, who were still paying attention to the _Styracosaurus_ that was rambling on about their impending death sentences.

"Ahem!" Hazel faked coughed loudly, interrupting Eema's unnecessary speech. As expected, all eyes fell on her, along with the much needed silence.

"I agree with Aladar. We should go and investigate what that sound is. But I have also thought about your concerns about getting lost. So I have a remedy for that."

"And that would be…?" Yar sounded with a bit of doubt.

The human made her way over to the opposite wall, where it was free of any obstructions in front of it. Putting a hand on it, she felt it for any sort of wetness on the surface. Satisfied that there was none and that the walls were dry enough, if not smooth, she put the flashlight she had in her hand and held onto it with her mouth at the end.

"Alright, now watch this," she told them in a muffled voice and began to scratch away at the surface with the pointed debris. She was surprised that barely any marks were appearing on the wall when she glazed over it with little effort. Hazel had to draw over her lines multiple times in order to get a sign to pop out. The scratch marks she was creating were colored a light gray, almost white. The rock she had was wearing away at a small pace, perfect for this kind of situation. When she was finished, she stood away to reveal her finished product, which was a simply drawn X mark.

"There we go," Hazel said, grabbing the flashlight away from her mouth to speak clearly.

Everyone else could not make what was now on the wall. It looked like two lines that were crossing over each other. While that looked unimportant to them, it apparently appeared to have a different meaning to the human. In fact, it did not look like anything at all. It just looked like giant scratch marks that were half the size of Hazel.

"Uh...what is that?" Zini asked.

"It's an X I created to mark this specific spot. I'm calling it a checkpoint. The idea is that while we go on ahead to investigate that tunnel, I'll be creating these marks as a way of recording where we've been. That way, when we find what we're looking for, or don't find anything at all, we can just follow these markings back to this spot," Hazel spoke to them with a high amount of confidence.

Aladar could not help but give her a beaming smile. "Hazel! You're a genius!"

The girl's face flushed red at the _Iguanodon's_ impromptu comment. "Meh, it was nothing. I just wanted to help out."

"Alright, now that we've settled out the issue of getting lost, let's go and check out this tunnel," Aladar told the rest of the group. Sounds of agreement flooded the mini-herd in response to his order.

In no time at all, everyone was going into the rightmost tunnel, though they worried on what sort of obstacles they would encounter. Following somewhere behind them was Hazel, who chose to do so as she was the path recorder. Gripping the rock she found in her hand along with her flashlight, she braced herself for what was up ahead.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Some time later…

The small herd of misfit creatures trudged on through the unknown tunnel, eager to know what was causing the strange rumbling sound. Hazel had to trail behind them so that she could mark spots on the walls each time they turned in a new direction. While it was a good idea, she had to hurry with creating those marks as her friends were able to cover more ground that her.

Several minutes passed without much improvement in the situation. They passed through various tunnels that seemed to go on forever. Some of them even changed in size, making it hard to proceed on. One tunnel's ceiling was a little small, which made it uncomfortable for Baylene since she had to crouch a little. Another tunnel was so narrow that everyone had to go in a single file line, with Aladar and Hazel at the very front. There was also a large cavern that had so many boulders that winding through the obstacles took a while to complete.

While their efforts seemed arduous, one thing was certain that kept them going. The sound that they heard from before was getting louder. Each intersection they crossed meant getting closer to their destination. Their detour was quiet though, which was something that they found oddly eerie.

"Ugh...it's too quiet," Hazel complained after marking another X on the nearest wall of the tunnel they left.

"Can't believe I'm going to say this, but I agree with you," Zini seconded, slumping onto his back to get into a more comfortable position on the _Brachiosaurus_. "We could play a game."

"I think I got an idea," the human suggested.

"Oh you're just full of them today, aren't you?" Eema giggled, though she said that in a sarcastic tone.

Brushing off that partial insult, the girl took in a breath before saying her idea. "Um...we could play 20 questions."

"What kind of a game is that?" the bachelor mammal piped, lifting his head up to look over at her on his left.

"It's easy. We ask each other questions, back and forth. They could be about anything, as long as it's about the other person. It's the best way to get to know one another."

Zini let out a vomiting noise, indicating his disgust on the idea. "Sounds boring."

Hazel scoffed, offended by that idea. In truth, she wanted to get to know her new friends even more. "Well...do YOU have any ideas of entertainment?"

"Here's a good one," Yar started with an extremely bored tone. "What do you humans do?"

The girl gave him a confused look. "What? What do you mean by that?"

"Well for starters," the lemur began. "Do you have any voice in yourself?"

"Voice? I'm not understanding what you're trying to ask…"

"He means…" Plio turned to the human with a more sympathetic expression. Hazel's defensive exterior softened at the motherly approach of the female primate. "Can you make any noise that comes from within? We lemurs have our own voice. Aladar has his. Eema, Baylene, and Url have their own. But other than screaming, we have never heard yours before."

"Except for that loud sound you made to make us stop arguing before," Zini added offhandedly.

Hazel's eyes widened in realization. "Oh! Oh I see what you mean! You're asking if I can roar or whoop like any of you!"

"Exactly!" the elder lemur pointed at her with a finger for a split second.

The human gave him, along with the rest of the lemur family, a disappointed expression. Her eyes closed a little and her smile turned into a frown. "Well...humans can't exactly roar. It's not menacing nor does it really mean anything. We can whoop, like you lemurs, but again, it wouldn't mean anything."

"Then what can you do?" Suri asked with an innocent curiosity.

Hazel thought for a moment. There was something she could do. But it was something she had never done in a long time, mostly because she was not very good with it. She let out a sigh before replying. "Um...I can sing. Not very well though."

"Sing?" the lemur matriarch looked over at the Asian woman. "What's that?"

"Well since my kind can't roar like you guys," she said while gesturing over to the dinosaurs who seemingly were not paying any attention. She then gestured to the lemurs who were eyeing her for an answer. "Or chatter like any of you, we humans can make melodies with our voices. We can sing."

It was at that statement that Aladar looked behind him, just to gaze upon the curious human. "So...what kind of things does this voice of yours do? Can you call others to you? Can you attract...well...mates with it?" he asked with a slight hint of embarrassment in this tone, though he kept his facial expression under control to make sure no one got the wrong idea.

The girl shrugged her shoulders. "Um...other than using music to fulfill certain aspects in our daily lives, which would really confuse you guys if I told you, singing is mostly a form of entertainment. Here, I'll show you."

Hazel looked around her surroundings after taking a deep breath. This cave had a long tunnel system. Any sound that was made could echo on for miles at least. The girl got an idea from this and decided to use this for her chosen song. Her melody was something that she thought would fit the new friends she made, and was so uplifting that it could cheer anyone up.

Moments later, after preparing herself mentally, Hazel sang her song, one that she dubbed as one of her favorites after seeing a certain movie a couple years ago.

" **We are, we are**

 **Not your ordinary fami-mily**

 **But we can all agree that**

 **We are, we are**

 **Close as close can be**

 **So it don't matter what it looks like**

 **We look perfect to me**

 **We got every kind of love**

 **I feel so lucky indeed**

 **They can keep on talking**

 **It don't matter to me cause**

 **We are, we are family…"**

All eyes fell on the human that began to vocalize. Confusion ran through their minds as they watched Hazel do her "singing". The sounds they were hearing were unlike anything they have heard of before. It wasn't deep and gravelly like a predator's. Neither was it sonorous and strong like an herbivore's. The calls that Hazel was creating sounded synchronized with a specific frequency. Words were inputted into her strange bellows. In addition, they were surprised to see the echoes of the cave following along with her next vocalizations.

" **We are are are are (We are)**

 **We are are are are (We are)**

 **We are are are are (We are)**

 **We are, we are family, family, family**

 **We are, we are family."**

"Now what is that girl doing? Is she trying to attract whatever's in this cave to us?" Eema sounded in complaint. Unfortunately, no one could reply to that when the girl began to sing again.

" **So what?**

 **We don't look, we don't act**

 **We don't walk, we don't talk**

 **Like you do.**

 **So what?**

 **If we hang just to hang**

 **Ain't no shame**

 **We gon' do what we want to.**

 **Cause we come from everywhere**

 **Searching for ones to care**

 **Somehow we found it here**

 **We found us a home…**

 **We are, we are**

 **Not your ordinary fami-mily**

 **But we can all agree that**

 **We are, we are**

 **Close as close can be.**

 **So it don't matter what it looks like**

 **We look perfect to me**

 **We got every kind of love**

 **I feel so lucky indeed**

 **They can keep on talking**

 **It don't matter to me cause**

 **We are, we are family**

 **OK, so the links in our chain makes us strange**

 **But really they make us stronger**

 **And I wouldn't replace not a thing**

 **Mother or father**

 **Cause we,**

 **Cause we come from everywhere**

 **Searching for ones to care**

 **Somehow we found it here**

 **We found us a home**

 **We are, we are**

 **Not your ordinary fami-mily**

 **But we can all agree that**

 **We are, we are**

 **Close as close can be**

 **So it don't matter what it looks like**

 **We look perfect to me**

 **We got every kind of love**

 **I feel so lucky indeed**

 **They can keep on talking**

 **It don't matter to me cause**

 **We are, we are family**

 **(Family)**

 **(We are)**

 **We are, we are family."**

By the end of the song, silence permeated the the giant cavern they had apparently walked into. Like before, there were groups of stalagmites scattered around the area. Everyone had apparently been paying so much attention to Hazel's singing that they barely paid any attention on where they were going. But slightly losing their sense of direction paled in comparison to what they were feeling now.

The song that Hazel sang touched their hearts. From the words she inputted into the vocalizations, they got a deeper sense of togetherness; of being a family. Each of them may have come from different places, but their differences were not so important. Appearances meant nothing; they were a small herd made up of different creatures. They stayed together not only because of survival, but also because of their sense of belonging. They were not just friends; they were a family.

"Whoa…" Suri uttered, having nothing else to say because of her words being taken away.

"Hazel...I never thought you had such a voice!" Baylene exclaimed, showing her amazement.

Hazel chuckled nervously. She put her hand behind her neck to wipe off the sweat she apparently developed from her ordeal. "Well, I'm not that great of a singer. I did my best."

Eema giggled, causing the girl to eye the elder ceratopsian in confusion. "Did your best? Girl, I've never heard something like that before. You practically took my breath away."

"I'd have to agree with them," Aladar said, walking up to the now blushing human. "You're pretty unique. You said you had no inner voice, and yet you proved to us that you had something inside. We don't know much about your kind, but you're right. We may all look different, but we don't care what we look like on the outside. It's what's inside that brought us all together."

"Thanks," the Filipino relaxed and gave him a beaming smile.

"So did you make all of that off the top of your head?" Zini questioned offhandedly.

Hazel looked over at him and shook her head. "No, someone else made that song, a girl by the name of Keke Palmer. The song is called We are Family. I just knew it by memory. But man! I was really nervous! I usually don't sing because I have a fear of going offkey."

"Regardless, we were entertained by it," the _Brachiosaurus_ told her, reassuring her that she succeeded in lifting their spirits.

The human winked at Baylene, indicating her gratitude towards the sauropod. With all sentimentalities passed, the girl cleared her throat and walked onward. Her flashlight raised higher to illuminate the way and the rock she used to mark the walls at the ready, Hazel led the way into the darkness.

"Well...I think we've dawdled enough. Shall we continue to investigate?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With the message of being a family now ingrained into their minds, the mini-herd traversed the multitude of caverns with a higher sense of togetherness. Thanks to Hazel's heartfelt message, all thoughts of the possibility of dying seemed to be forgotten. So long as they were together, they would be able to make it. And things seemed to get better as well, as soon as they turned a corner of the last tunnel they passed.

Every dinosaur, lemur, and the sole human gasped at the sight. The sound they had been following was not threatening at all. In fact, it was welcoming. The small cavern they arrived in was just another portion of an intersection that led deeper into the cave. Because Baylene was a large sauropod, the somewhat low ceiling and narrowness of the tunnel made her crouch a little. A large crack allowed the light from outside to filter through, like an angel showering them with hope. Fresh air billowed through the fracture, allowing the group to breathe easy rather than taking in the musty air of the cave.

Flowing just before them was a river that passed through from the left. The current appeared to be moderate, but the loud sounds they were following turned out to be a waterfall that thundered about a hundred feet away. The underground river was not that big, and would mostly be classified as a large stream. Very few rocks obstructed the water body, allowing the liquid to run it's full speedy course towards the unknown water body ahead.

"Oh my God...it's an underground river…" Hazel grinned as she blurted out the obvious. The shock of the new discovery caused her to release the rock she had, creating a loud clatter that echoed for a few long seconds.

"Water!" Suri cheered. Jumping off from her ride and landing nimbly on the ground, she hopped madly towards the river. She cupped the substance in her hands and touched her lips on the surface.

"And it's free of dirt!" Zini agreed and left to go join his niece.

Sure enough, all of them went over to the small shoreline to drink in the welcoming liquid. They dug their faces into the water and took in every single gulp they could muster. Even Hazel was enjoying getting some fresh water at last, rather than discreetly drinking from her filtered bottle that had bits of dirt from the lake. The water was cold, making her fingers go numb, but she did not care. Every sip she took she did so furiously in order to ease the dryness in her throat.

Once she was done, she gazed over at her right. The thundering waterfall disappeared into the darkness, making her want to know how deep it was. Grabbing the flashlight she placed on the ground, she quickly went over towards darkness to investigate. Her action for doing so, however, attracted the attention of a certain sea-green _Iguanodon_. Lifting his head up, he watched as his human companion sauntered off into the darkness. Few water droplets dripped from his mouth as he swallowed the water he scooped in.

"Hazel? Where are you going?" he called out to her. The rest of the group ceased drinking their share of the water just to see Hazel missing from their sight.

"I'm checking out the waterfall! Just want to see how deep this cavern is!"

"I don't know if that's a good idea. We should stay together. Who knows what's over there," Aladar tried to reason.

"Don't worry! I'll be fine! I've got my flashlight here," he heard her say.

Aladar and the others may have superior night vision, but poor Hazel lacked that commodity. She had to rely on that odd contraption she called a flashlight in order to see in the dark. From the _Iguanodon's_ perspective, he could make out the hairless ape's form just stop inches away from the edge of the cliff where the waterfall began. Aladar got up to go over to her and make sure she was alright.

For Hazel, this new landmark was the most interesting thing she encountered since they entered the cave. The dark-haired girl had been on so many trips prior and during her time as Nigel's rescue assistant that she saw a lot of things. But an underground river that led to a waterfall was like being in an Indiana Jones movie. She knew being at the edge was dangerous, but she had to see the sight for herself.

Using her flashlight, she pointed at the water landmark and took in its features. The waterfall was of a considerable size. It wasn't too thick, like the Angel Falls in Venezuela, but after pointing her flashlight towards the bottom, it sounded like it wasn't too tall either. By her estimations, the drop could be at least a few hundred feet.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she leaned over and pointed the flashlight in the dark pool below. Her illuminated technology had its limits, as it only showed a little of the pool. Heck, she could not even tell if it really was the bottom because of how dark it was. It was so dark, Hazel was starting to think she'd never see the bottom.

"Damn it! I wish I brought a brighter flashlight…" she complained.

Just then, something below her began to crack. Hazel gasped and froze. The sounds she was hearing were right below her. The girl feared the worst and dared not to look.

"HAZEL!" she heard Aladar scream her name.

Right when he said that, the ground she stood on crumbled. The human dropped into the darkness, disappearing from view within a matter of seconds. She barely had any time to scream as her body kissed the blackness of the expanse. Hazel also heard the screams and gasps of her friends from the top as they watched her fall.

Hazel then felt something unexpected from her back. Something grabbed onto her pack just before she went further into the darkness. Crouching her legs and gripping her flashlight, she slowly turned to see what had saved her from an apparent death. She did not need to shine her flashlight when she heard the savior speak, albeit in a muffled tone.

"Don't worry, I got you!" Aladar reassured. At the very last second, the _Iguanodon_ managed to catch the looped strap of her bag with his mouth. His body was half-leaning into the cliff, his forelegs bent low in a position that seemed a bit uncomfortable. The dinosaur quickly lifted his head up, hoisting the girl above the darkness and her death.

Down below, the rocks that she stood on met the pool with a multitude of crashes. They were hard to hear from the sound of the waterfall, but it sounded like they met the other rocks below. The pool shore was not as deep as Hazel thought it was as those crashes meant the rocks met the other rocks at the bottom. Had she fallen down, her bones would have crumbled, if her head didn't shatter first.

Hazel dropped on the ground by her butt with a grunt. Jolts of pain rushed up her body as she met the ground with a little slam. Looking up, she could see the stern expression of the friend she made not too long ago. However, it looked like she was looking at Bob on a bad day at work.

"Um...thanks Aladar," Hazel let out a relieved laugh. She knew he was a bit mad though, judging from the locking eye contact he was making. Chills went down her spine as she prepared for what he was going to say next.

"I told you to stay with us. Because curiosity got the better of you, you almost fell to your death," he lectured her in a calm yet strict manner.

"Heh...yeah, stay together. That's not a bad plan. I think I'll stick with it. Sorry…" she apologized in one breath. A frown creased on her face after looking into his emerald eyes. He may be one of her best friends, but at the moment, he was acting like a big brother towards her. She had been lectured before by the other staff members of Prehistoric Park, but those experiences were only because she was learning the ropes on her first days as a keeper. This experience was like at a whole new level.

"Had I not arrived in time, you would have died," he added on to his controlled frustration.

Hazel waved her hands in a dismissive manner. Yet, she also showed her sincerity in heeding anything anyone else told her. "Yeah yeah I get it. Trust my gut instincts and listen to what other people have to say. Won't happen again."

Hearing that made the _Iguanodon_ smile a little. Satisfied that the human learned her lesson, he leaned down to nudge the two-legged to her feet. His snout meeting her side had its intended effect when the girl was pushed towards the direction of their friends.

"Come on, let's get out of here."

No one else spoke again after that incident. After getting their fill of water, they turned around to head back to their starting checkpoint. Their detour turned out to be a good thing, but they still had a long way to go before they reached the end of their destination. Holding on to the hope of escape, they trudged on with new resolve.


	6. Extra Scene: A Looming Shadow

_**Hey guys. Sorry it took a while. A bunch of things popped up in the last few months. Also, the next few months will be even busier with school and jobs, so we'll be a bit busy. Rest assured, Marc and I have not given up on this series.**_

 _ **Anyway, this scene takes place after The Truth and before The Final Showdown. It's more or less based off of the movie, but with a few added details. Disclaimer: Disney's Dinosaur and Prehistoric Park belong to their respective owners.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

Aladar knocked the last boulder away with every ounce of his strength. The earthen debris tumbled down the mountain of stone effortlessly. Rocks that were in its way were knocked over, creating a small landslide. Their small journey ended when they met the ground with slams.

For the past hour or so, the blue-green _Iguanodon_ had been creating a hole large enough for a large group of animals to pass through. In this case, the herd he intended to rescue. After seeing the former entrance to the Nesting Grounds in its inhospitable condition now, getting the herd through his pathway was at the top of his list. Kron surely had no idea of this safer passage and would most likely drive his underlings to climb the deathtrap.

It took him a while to get back to the entrance of the cave. He had to rely on his memory of traversing the tunnels to do so. By some stroke of luck, or a godsend miracle, Aladar was able to get back to the start within a couple of hours. When they were going through the tunnels before, it surely felt like days.

While he succeeded in carving a path for the herd, his thoughts of what happened here gave him a sense of guilt. He was digging over the spot where one of the dead Carnotaurs...and Bruton were buried. Before he and his friends retreated into the tunnels, he managed to cover the former lieutenant's body with rocks so as to obscure him from the outside. It was Hazel's idea to do so. Aladar remembered her saying that it was customary in her species to bury the dead. He had no idea why, but he did not ask any more. He also did the same for the dead Carnotaur, even though it was an enemy to them. It was a sound idea because he would not want the herd to see the carcass of the superpredator glaring at them as they passed.

His ordeal finally done, the _Iguanodon_ set out into the opening of the cave. The sunset painted the landscape with its beautiful, fading colors. Though the land looked more like a war zone rather than a scenic view with those menacing cliffs. Aladar turned to the right, as he knew he had to get around the mountain range in order to get to where he knew the herd would be.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hours passed. The orange hues in the sky quickly turned into dark shades of blue. The stars glistened up above like gems. While this was indeed a wasteland, where almost no plants grew and the land was always hot, tonight brought about a cool breeze.

Aladar did not stop to rest for a second. On and on, he rushed through a seemingly endless rock labyrinth. His muscles ached and burned as he kept running through the night. Though his body begged for him to slow down, he ignored its pleas.

It wasn't long before the landscape took on smaller rock formations. Some of them were sharp, like a jagged tooth that could pierce anything from above. Others were round like that of an eggshell. And then there were rocks that seemed to curve on its side, looking like water waves that somehow became frozen in stone.

But while the land was eerily beautiful yet dangerous, Aladar spent no time in dawdling. Some time ago, he had found what appeared to be a series of footprints on the ground, along with the scent of multiple beings at one time.

It was the herd. And because the main entrance into the valley was blocked, there was no doubt that he would meet them on the other side. In addition, with Kron's stubbornness on driving the herd to the valley as quickly as possible, they should already be there.

Which was what worried the young male. Predicting the herd leader's mentality, there's a big chance he would force everyone to climb those rocks. What they did not know was that they would fall to their deaths once they reached the top.

Aladar had to keep going. He had to get to them in time before they killed themselves. As of now, it was a race against the clock.

Right as he stopped next to a bending rock formation to catch his breath, something caught his eye below him. It was a small bush; its branches devoid of any leaves. But it was what lay behind the plant that intrigued him. The shape was small, but he could make out the slightest hint of legs and a head.

Using one of his hooves, he pulled the branches back, only to reveal the corpse of a Stygimoloch.

Aladar let out a quiet gasp. The creature did not sport any claw marks or bites, but he could see its bones through its skin. The poor pachycephalosaur was malnourished and most likely died of exhaustion.

Before he could think of how angry he was at the leader for being so heartless, the sound of muffled footsteps sounded off nearby.

Looking up ahead, he could see a dark looming shape come out from a couple rock barriers. Even though it was dark, he could make out a large creature on two legs, small bony spikes on a crimson hide, and two distinct horns on its stout head.

The dinosaur gasped again, backing away slowly to the large earthen barrier next to him. The monster let out a snarl then stopped to sniff at the air. The thing that contributed to Bruton's death was now within a few feet from him…

Another growl. This time it was much closer. The thing sniffed the air, smelling the scent of sun-baked skin and a small hint of vegetation. The desert musk around it may be dominant, but the predator knew of the smell of a plant eater for years.

The _Iguanodon_ peeked his head out from the side. He ducked back once he saw the Carnotaur that was literally right next to him.

Seeing the creature made him think back to the previous night, when he and his friends were in the cave. Eema, Url, Baylene, and his lemur family were already in the tunnels, trying to escape as fast as they could. But there was one who remained behind.

He could remember the moment when the roof was collapsing; rocks falling everywhere like the small debris that came from the Fireball several days ago. He remembered watching a wounded yet well-muscled _Iguanodon_ scramble his way up the piles of falling rocks, all in an attempt to get away from the area. He could even remember calling out the warrior's name and trying to help him to safety...only to watch him get crushed by the disaster he created.

" _Come on...think!"_ he planned on his attack, observing his surroundings. _"There's only one Carnotaur and he's weakened from what happened in the cave."_

He then thought of Hazel, who fought bravely against the monsters in the cave to defend him. Though she was small and lacked the strength to match the Carnotaurs, she used her resources to fight them off. The human even managed to blind one of them by throwing her strange silver spike at its eye, which allowed him to escape their grasp. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't be alive now.

Inspired by how the girl fought, he began to think of a way to defeat this monster. If he could defeat the Carnotaur now, the Herd would have a better chance at survival.

" _With all the rocks around here, and the dust kicked up by the wind, he shouldn't be able to track me. I can take him on."_

He believed he was in a good spot, but a voice in his head stopped him. The voice, whatever it was, told him no.

Aladar heeded that small voice. His leveled mind told him of the drawbacks in his plan of attack. The Carnotaur may be alone and weakened, but it was still strong enough to kill him. Taking him on with a frontal attack would result in him getting seriously injured...or even dead. He may wind up dead like Bruton.

" _No. I can't do this on my own. And it'll be morning soon. I have to get to the Herd."_

Suddenly, the creature roared, startling the young male. He feared for the worst. The dinosaur expected the predator to round the corner of the rock, his hungry eyes looking upon him as a symbol of death. He feared for the feel of sharp teeth tearing into his hide, blood gushing out from his wounds as he was being devoured to death.

But it never came.

Growls and the sounds of bones breaking reverberated the air. Aladar did not need to take a peek to see what was happening. But if he did, he would see the Carnotaur dining in on the _Stygimoloch_ carcass under the bush. His guess was confirmed when he heard the sounds of tearing flesh. It took everything in his will to prevent himself from reacting to those horrific sounds.

It was then that he realized something. The predator was now distracted. The smell it picked up wasn't his, but rather the dead herd member's. But he wondered whether that was all it could smell.

Not wanting to stay and find out, he made his escape. Using the barrier rocks as cover, he eventually made his way around the Carnotaur as it dined on its small meal.

" _I have to warn the Herd,"_ Aladar whispered to himself as he bolted towards the path around the mountains.

Without a moment to lose, the _Iguanodon_ sprinted up the path that was littered with footprints. If the Carnotaur was here, then there can be no doubt that it would find the Herd by morning. Now it was like they were trapped on two fronts; on one side was a wall where they could fall to their deaths should they attempt to climb it while on the other was a ravenous, bloodthirsty monster.

Aladar was now pressed for time. The Herd was in even more danger. But he had no idea of the trouble he was about to face.

The roar of the Carnotaur echoed far behind him. Its stomach was now full, but only temporarily. The desert sand and rock may dominate his smell, but the creature picked up a new scent, one that it instantly recognized from the night before.

It was the smell of an _Iguanodon_.

The crimson carnivore then looked down, noticing the multitudes of footprints. It snapped its head back and noticed the trail led to around the mountains. The Carnotaur sniffed the ground and then the air, now catching the faint smells of a lot of dinosaurs.

The bull lizard snarled, its objective now clear. Where there are footprints, there is a herd. A herd means an endless meal.

And the _Iguanodon_ scent in the air would lead it to that Herd.


	7. Extra Scene: Always With You

**_Hi guys! Darksage here with yet another extra scene for Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure. This scene took place right after The Final Showdown and before Home is Where the Heart Is. It takes place in the time right after the events in the canyon. This is my depiction on what happened after that battle...with a few added details :). Disclaimer: Disney's Dinosaur and Prehistoric Park belong to their respective owners. In addition, all music that were mentioned in this story belong to their artists as well. Enjoy!_**

" _Let's stop and rest here for a while…"_

Those were the words that Aladar said echoed in the recesses of Hazel's mind.

For pretty much the entire day, the herd had been making their way towards the shortcut she and her companions discovered not too long ago. The mountainous terrain, winding canyons, along with the cliffs they had to traverse to get to the place seemed difficult to overcome. But those were better than getting eaten by predators. The thought of finally being back in their home grounds was enough to push them onward.

It was already sunset by the time they arrived at the cave. From what the human had observed, Aladar had created a large enough passageway in the large rubble mound from their recent battle for the herd to cross. Hazel could feel the pangs of guilt hit her stomach as they walked passed that area. Even as she was riding on her blue-green _Iguanodon_ companion, she could sense his sorrow from his silence.

Hazel had the needs to travel back in time to rescue Bruton, the misunderstood hero of that night. She could just use the time poles to head back to Prehistoric Park, then work a way to get back to that specific event. But that had a number of complications, such as the risk of running into her past self. Hazel had watched enough documentaries and seen enough shows about time travel to know about the consequences of meeting yourself in the past. Not only would the future be drastically changed, but she herself might disappear altogether. The girl was also aware that Bruton's death was instrumental in their journey to the Nesting Grounds. Had he not died, she and her friends would have perished at the jaws of those giant carnivores. The same could be said about Kron…

That name made Hazel choke back a quiet sob. She and Flia, along with Aladar and Neera, had come too late to save the former leader. Kron may have been a dick the entire time Hazel was in this time period, and his decisions were not the most ideal, but he did not deserve to die like that. She wanted to bring him back to Prehistoric Park, so that he could at least have a second chance, both to others and how he viewed her. But like Bruton, there was nothing she could do to change history. Had the alpha not perished, Aladar would not be where he was today and the herd would have died when they fell into the apparent cliff they were being made to climb. Hazel never liked Kron, but she could not help but feel pity for him.

But her feelings on the situation paled in comparison to a certain fuschia _Iguanodon_. Both former scout and new alpha did not have to alert each other on Neera's condition. Her prolonged silence, tired gait, and weary eyes were enough to give away her grief. Before they arrived at the cave, they were quietly debating to each other on who should comfort her. They did not want to be too abrupt, as they would make her flustered. Neither did they want her to be alone. They had their share of losing someone dear in their lives. After much debate, Aladar agreed to have Hazel do the talking. He had a herd to keep an eye on after all.

While she wanted Aladar to do that because of his new duties, she had another motive. The herd was almost back at the Nesting Grounds. Her friends were now safe. But the vow she made in the beginning of her journey in this era ceased to leave her mind. Every time she had a moment of respite, whether it was her job as a scout or being with her friends, the thought of going back to her time would just come back like a mosquito wanting more of her blood. Hazel wanted to at least admire the herd she promised to bring to her home. She could talk to them, make sure they were okay, but she was too weary from the recent battle she participated in.

That very thought made her remember what happened earlier that day. She, along with Aladar, and Flia were on the cliff, trying to fight off that monstrosity. Neera was recovering after being stunned by the Carnotaur, the result of hitting her head against a large boulder. Kron lay off to the other end of the cliff, unmoving. They fought with everything they had; Aladar stabbing the carnivore with his thumb spikes, Flia pecking the back with her spear-like beak, and Hazel slashing away at his legs with her dagger. It all ended with the predator falling into the portal that the girl discreetly set up at the side of the cliff...and the mourning of a dead herd leader.

The groans of a myriad of animals shook Hazel back into reality. Looking at her surroundings, she remembered they arrived at one of the large caverns she and her friends crossed not too long ago. The area was large enough to accommodate at least two herds, and had little to no obstructions like stalagmites or boulders. There were stalactites that hung from the ceiling though, along with the small cracks in the ceiling that allowed fresh air to come in. Very little light came in to the cavern, but it did illuminate the area somewhat. Hazel had to rely on the use of her flashlight just to get by. Curiosity in this era never ceased as the huge group of prehistoric animals inquired about the strange device.

The girl was about to pull out her sleeping bag from the bag she lay next to one of the few remaining boulders when she noticed a certain female ornithopod lying a considerable distance away from everyone else. Shining her light for a brief second, she noticed that it was Neera, lying on her stomach and resting. Abandoning her supplies, Hazel made her way to the herbivore.

"Hey Neera."

"Hi Hazel," she replied back without looking up at her.

"You seem pretty lonely out here. Mind if I sit?"

Of course, the _Iguanodon_ didn't argue against that. She gestured the human to sit with her, and complied she did. Getting into a sitting position with one knee close to her chest and her other leg out, she flexed her arms in front of her before focusing her attention on the lone dinosaur.

"I shouldn't have left him alone…" Neera uttered, making the girl eye her with intrigue.

"What?"

"Had I stayed with my brother, he would still be here. But...I couldn't stand how he was treating everyone," she looked away somberly.

Hazel frowned at that. Like everyone in the cave, she was pretty shaken up about the whole canyon battle. Though they were happy that they got out alive, she was feeling guilty about one herd member that perished in the fight. Aladar tried to warn Kron of the coming danger, and she along with Flia supported him. Rather than listening to reason, Kron took it as a challenge to his leadership.

He and Aladar got into a fight as a result. Though the blue-green male was merely defending himself, the brutish leader was willing to fight to the death. Had Neera not interfered, he would have died. Or in fact, everyone in the canyon would have perished from that Carnotaur.

That was one thing Hazel regretted about the whole thing. She put the former leader down with an insult, and never had a chance to apologize. But at the same time, the event had factors that couldn't have been avoided.

"Neera, I'm sorry about your brother. I won't pretend to not know how you're feeling now, but there are things that just can't be helped."

Hearing that struck a nerve within the female. Neera snapped her head at the human, showing her mostly hidden ferocity.

"Are you telling me to get over it? Hazel, he's my brother! How dare you treat him like he's some object with little meaning!"

"No Neera! That's not what I meant at all!" Hazel protested. "Like you, I feel guilty about not being there for him! I said some things that I regretted saying to him, and now I won't ever have the chance to ask for his forgiveness!"

She then stood up and took in a few breaths. All of her anger was being let out, along with her thoughts on the formers Herd leader. Neera watched as the small human revealed what she had been hiding this entire time to her.

"I never liked your brother, but I didn't hate him. Like you, I didn't like how he was treating everybody. But he didn't deserve to die back there, but what's done is done. The only thing we can do now is to move forward."

The Asian sighed and looked upon the grieving female with sympathetic eyes. A few tears dripped down her cheeks in little droplets. "You're not the only one who's lost someone they cared about. I've lost a few people over the years. There isn't a day that goes by when they're not on my mind. Some days, I want to just go back, say all the things I should have said, and fix all the mistakes I made with them. I know I can't do that. But you know what?"

Hazel sniffled, holding back a sob. "I know that they're never truly gone. I can talk to them whenever I want to. It may not be in person, but I still can."

"How is that possible? You've seen what happened to my brother. He's dead," Neera pointed out, her sorrow building up within her again.

The girl shook her head and took a few steps toward the fuchsia female. "No. That's not true. Kron may not be with you physically, but he's still with you."

Hazel placed her hand on her friend's chest. The heat coming from her smooth scaly skin kissed her own. She felt small thumps on that part of her body, even though it was physically not in that area.

The sensation of the girl's hand sent chills down the dinosaur's spine at first. Her cold touch against her hide surprised her. But once her warmth engulfed the human's skin, she relaxed.

"He lives on Neera. In your heart, and in your memories. When you want to see him again, just merely think of him. Remember the good times, before all of this happened."

The dinosaur sighed, bringing her head closer to the hairless ape. Her neck craned over the girl's shoulder like a blanket. With a quick movement of her right hoof, the human was brought closer to her.

Hazel grabbed Neera's neck, accepting the embrace. Both released tears of sadness as they thought of their loved ones. Their quiet cries echoed in the cavern, but did little to alert the herd that was now sleeping.

"It's okay Neera," the girl consoled the grieving female with a few strokes of her fingers. "Kron will always be with you."

"But Hazel…" she sobbed, thinking of her only family that nearly led everyone to their deaths. "He's...done many horrible things. But he was the only family I had."

"I know. But you're not him, and you never will be. You're you. And he isn't the only family, for we're all here for you."

Neera pulled away, her yellow eyes staring deep into the dark brown irises of that belonged to the young adventurer. While they still had hints of the stinging water in them, she could see hope and love from them. The look the girl gave her let all negativities ebb away.

"My people have a belief that when someone dies, they go somewhere else. We can't see it and we can't go to it, but that's where everyone goes. They watch everyone from where they are. They look out for them; they help them when they're down and they are present when they are needed, though they aren't present physically. Kron is in a better place, and he's looking out for you, just like he did when he led the herd in times past."

She placed a hand on the female _Iguanodon's_ cheek, stroking it like she did on her neck. The dinosaur relished in the sensation, and became comforted by her words. "The Herd now looks up to you and Aladar as their new leaders. They need you. It's your turn to lead."

"Thanks Hazel. I needed that," she shot her a small smile.

The two embraced each other once more. Their hearts now shared amongst each other. Little did they know that they were being watched from the distance by a certain cerulean-colored male. The dinosaur that was raised on an island of lemurs looked upon two of his loved ones with relief. Though he had done his duty of checking the Herd for their needs, he stayed a fair distance away while watching the conversation between Hazel and Neera.

He was happy that Neera was alright. Though her loss of her brother would pain her for a while, he knew that she would pull through. The words of the young human he met in the desert gave her the strength to embark on the road to recovery.

Aladar turned around, making his way to a mounted boulder a few yards from the Herd. The day they had was a long one, and he needed rest.

From the losses and sorrow came a new beginning for everyone.


	8. Extra Scene: Whispers of the Past

_Hey guys. Sorry it took so long to make this. Now just so you are aware, this is the last chapter in the DaPPA extras. No more will be added to this one._

 _In addition, there will not be any chapters related to Aladar's childhood and the events leading up to the first Fireball/its aftermath. DaPPA specifically revolves around Hazel Veran and her trip to the past. Sorry :(_

 _If there are any extras related to the series, they will be written as separate entities._

 _Hope you guys enjoyed these extra features. Please be sure to stay tuned for any updates to the series. Thanks!_

Prehistoric Park...The Next Day

Nigel turned the door into the room slowly. Apprehension welled inside him as he prepared for whatever lay on the other side. Even though he was the leader of Prehistoric Park, he did not have any right to invade into someone's private quarters. He would especially be in big trouble since the room belonged to someone of the opposite gender.

Thankfully, when he entered the room, there was no one inside. The gray curtains that covered the doors leading to the outside patio were spread apart, darkening the quarters but leaving a slim ray of light in. Unlike most rooms, which had demure pictures of landscapes or other portraits that reflected the employee's' taste, this room was littered with posters of various rock bands. A large wardrobe lay in the far right corner, a king sized bed with a blue satin comforter was positioned in the middle, and next to it was a small nightstand with a black lamp. Two body-sized pillows lay on top of the bed in a neat pile, showing the owner's neatness. Finally, the man noted the walk-in closet nearby and the bookcase with the many books about dinosaurs and other animals.

"I really need to get her a desk," the man said, seeing that the living space lacked the luxury of one.

The room he stepped into belonged to Hazel. Even though she had lived in the park for a short amount of time, the young woman was already doing what she could to make this place her own. Hazel did most of her work outside of the Prehistoric Park Barracks, so she would only come here when she needed to rest or sleep.

Aside from the near-barren appearance of the room, Nigel did not come here to admire the woman's handiwork. No, he came for one task, and it involved the travel bag that was situated in front of her bed.

The explorer quickly made his way to the sack. The back faced him and was still filled to the brim with supplies. Hazel had not unpacked since she arrived back in the present, which was yesterday. It was understandable; when she came back, she was as hungry as a mammoth and went straight to the park cafe to get her fill. Afterwards, Hazel came back to the room, plopped on the bed to sleep, then went out to help out the employees.

If memory served Nigel correctly, Hazel was helping Bob out with looking after Martha and the elephant herd, led by the matriarch Mujaji, in their part of the valley. Any employee who was tasked with looking after the elephants would be charged with keeping them fed, inspecting any injuries or ailments they had, keeping them happy, and also making sure they did not run into the male elephant herd that the park had by accident.

The reason why the Park kept the bull and female elephants separate was because they wished to follow the natural lifestyle of their species, where males would either live on their own or in bachelor pads and the females lived together in large groups. The only time when they would encounter each other would be when the males were in musth, a seasonal affliction that causes their testosterone to skyrocket. In other words, when they were in the mood to mate.

But now was not the season for that. The elephants were decent to handle, but to anyone who worked in the park for a long time, they would know that the elephant calf would keep anyone on their toes.

Hazel would be gone from her room for most of the day. But the man had to work quickly. Time was of the essence. He didn't want her catching him touching her things.

Bringing out a small pocket knife from his front pocket, he grabbed one of the bag's shoulder straps and began to cut away at one of the clear plastic carapaces. He expertly cut at the stitching, making sure not to accidentally ruin the threadwork of the bag itself. Nigel worked the knife around the top, right, and bottom part of the plastic rectangle; until he was able to pry open that part of the bag.

Within the makeshift pocket was a black, foam base. Because the bag was made to house heavy supplies, the makers of the item wanted the wearer to be as comfortable as possible while carrying such heavy objects. While the plastic rectangles were merely there for decoration, Nigel added a little something to one of them for his, and by extension the whole park's, purpose.

The cushion did not look like a whole one. In fact, there was a small, square hole in the middle. Lifting the top cushion up, Nigel could see the real reason why he came to this room, and why he snuck in without Hazel's consent.

It was a miniature GoPro camera. At the top of the device, right above the lens, was a stagnant, red light that showed it was still recording.

"I knew Hazel wouldn't be recording her whole adventure," Nigel chuckled to himself as he carefully took out the human device. "She may have shown me that video of the whole herd going up against that _Carnotaurus_ in the canyon, but I didn't see any more shots she took of her mission. Good thing I put this in before she left."

He turned the device over and pressed a small button on the back that was near the on/off flip switch. The red light died out almost immediately.

Afterwards, he took out a spool of black thread and a small needle from his other pocket. Using the skills he picked up from his college years, he repaired the opening he made to the girl's backpack. What he had just done was indeed an invasion of her privacy, but it was something he knew she'll be thankful for in the future. Or if she gets mad, he'll have to reason with her on why it was necessary in the first place.

Once he repaired the opening, he quickly left the room in haste, the GoPro camera in hand. He only spent at most forty minutes in the bedroom.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Elephant Grounds...

Prehistoric Park's savannah. A part of the park reserved for creatures that grew up in pastures like these. Small acacia trees, bushes, long semi-yellow grasses, and other flora found in this specific biome were found here. Park staff constantly improved the appearance of the Park's various habitats, all in the effort to make the Residents, both ancient and modern, feel comfortable. The pachyderms were no different.

Hazel was over at the Elephant Grounds, overseeing their grazing and keeping an eye out for any problems, both health and social related. Her hair was left down; her jet black hair flowing in the wind. She was in a light-blue T-shirt with purple capris and her favorite black and pink sneakers. She was accompanied by Bob, who asked her to come along because the other staff who was supposed to be with him were too busy with catching Espantos, the Park's Terror Bird. The Miocene predator broke out of his enclosure so many times during his time in Prehistoric Park that the staff started keeping inventory on the number of times he escaped. In this case, it was almost every day.

Hazel had yet to commune with Espantos. But she knew that if she did, there was a chance she would only pick up squawks, rasps, caws, and screeches. She'd be lucky to get a few words in. From her experience in the Late Cretaceous, Nigel's invention could only pick up certain frequencies, meaning that the translator bit was a bit limited. She planned to visit Nigel sometime later that day to see if he could upgrade it so it could pick up frequencies from other prehistoric creatures, carnivores in this case. Though she was puzzled as to why she was able to understand Flia during her journey with the Herd even though she was also a carnivore. Hazel assumed it was because the communicator had "pterosaur speak" in its features.

Flia...that name brought about a pang of sadness. Hazel felt the slow sting of tears coming to her eyes as she thought back to the friends she left behind. When she first went back, she was tasked with just finding a dinosaur herd and bringing them to the park. Due to their need to migrate and making it back to their Nesting Grounds, the plan to rescue them had to wait. Those dinosaurs had families to foster and the sight of their home brought them hope again. She didn't want to take it away by telling them of what was to come. She didn't know how to tell them about their impending doom.

"No, they're going to be fine," Hazel muttered. "I'm going to go back and rescue them. I won't rest until each and every one of them gets through the Time Portal."

Hazel then contemplated about where she was. Just recently, she and Nigel discovered their Park was smack dab in the middle of where the Nesting Grounds once was in the past. The coordinates of the sanctuary on the map and the Nesting Grounds from the Time Poles panel were exactly the same. She could have just brought them to the present and then told them they were in their home, but in the future. It would be as if they never left.

But this place was their home and was not. This was a different time. To pull them away so abruptly would not please them at all, especially when they were in the middle of their nesting season.

Then there was Aladar and the others. What would they think? Would they turn away from her from keeping that secret from them and view her as an outsider? Would they feel hurt? They would surely lose their trust in her if she told them.

And yet, she feels incomplete. They became another family to her. Sure they would be mad, but would they really exile her? Hazel felt lost; not being with them was bringing about even more negative feelings.

"I wish they were here..."

"Oi Hazel!" a voice cried out.

Hazel broke out of her emotional trance. Blinking, she saw that the elephant herd she was looking after had moved at least a few yards to the east, near a small group of acacia trees. The grasses around that kind of vegetation were at least a few inches longer than the 6-inch grasses Hazel was standing on.

Coming towards her was Bob. His brow and head glistened under the sun. His shirt had splotches of wetness on some parts.

"What are you doing? Admiring the scenery?"

The girl shrugged her shoulders, saving face. "Yeah, I guess I am. I didn't realize you guys just moved."

"Well your eyes missed out on another detail while you were daydreaming," he told her in his usual gruff, yet eloquent accent. "You seen that calf around? Last I saw, she was hanging around the matriarch."

Hazel cocked an eyebrow. "Mikiya? No, I haven't seen her."

"Bah, that little kid's a wad of trouble. Watch the herd while I go look for her. She can't be far off."

"Alright, will do," Hazel politely replied.

The two employees walked back to the elephants together. As soon as Hazel was within range of behemoths, Bob went towards the western direction. Knowing that young elephant, the little female must have run several yards away from the herd. Mikiya was a mischievous child. She liked to play around with the staff even though they were not up to it. Though Hazel did not have the means to commune with modern day animals, she could understand when the young pachyderm was in the mood for a game.

But for now, she was playing the shepherd for at least twenty large mammals.

Seconds turned into minutes. The heat of the day was losing its grip on the valley. The sky was starting to take on a bright orange as the afternoon wore on. Long shadows of the mountains were being cast when the sun began to touch them. The bugs in the air vocalized in the remainder of the sun's wondrous warmth.

Hazel did a quick check around the perimeter of the herd. She took care not to be in the way of those giant grey legs. Getting squashed or rammed by those huge white tusks were the last thing on her mind. Finding no problems within the herd, she returned to her station at the edge of the large group. But as soon as she reached her post, something low and resonant rang in her ears.

It almost had a melodious tune to it, yet it was deep and had a trumpeting tune to it. It was something that would not fit in a musical choir. No human could make a sound like that unless they tried. If they did, they would fail horribly because they would not be able to match the frequency of it.

The sound was inhuman, but Hazel would know it anywhere. She heard it so many times during her solo mission in the past. It was faint, but it was the sound a large ornithopod would make. And this one had a certain pitch to it that stood out from all of the dinosaurs she heard before.

It sounded like an _Iguanodon_.

Hazel whirled around. Her attention was now at the most distant part of the valley, where anyone traveling in that direction would eventually leave their borders. Her view was obscured by a few hills, but by going up to the top of one of them, she would be able to see the lush green fields of the plains the herd she intends to rescue would live in. A large, dirt hole, bigger than a football field, was there. The staff was working to make it deep enough for any animal to wade in. Soon, it would be filled with water, complete with some fish any fish-eater would love.

The bellow ringing in her ears lasted for no more than a few seconds. But she heard the sound clear as day. Her thoughts rang out in confusion and brief excitement. There were no dinosaurs in that part of the valley. All of the Residents were in the other direction. No Resident could make that kind of sound. None of them could match the pitch and frequency of this roar.

There were no dinosaurs in that part of the valley. So why did Hazel hear it?

A thought crossed her mind. Perhaps she was starting to go crazy. She spent so much time in the Late Cretaceous that she was starting to hear things; things that were there, but not. Her answer was deduced to be a hallucination.

Hazel looked down on the ground and sighed. Her friends weren't there with her. They and the Herd never came with her through the portal. They were all in the past, frolicking around under the Mesozoic sun.

Just then, her rumination was broken by the sound of heavy footfalls. She looked back and took in the presence of a furry pachyderm that now stood next to her. The animal was slightly larger than the rest of the elephants. A huge bump protruded from the top of the elephant's head. But this was no ordinary elephant. Matted brown fur covered this huge creature like a natural blanket. The tusks were so large it could impale a number of objects within them like a huge kabob. This pachyderm was Martha, a wooly mammoth from the Siberian Ice Age that Nigel rescued a couple years ago.

"Bob is still not back," she rumbled with laughter. "Judging by how long Mikiya has been missing, she must be playing hide-and-seek with him. You can bet on my tusks her mother will not be pleased either."

"Yeah, I guess," Hazel lightly chuckled.

Among all of the Residents the Park had, Martha the mammoth was the very first creature Hazel communed with after her return from the Late Cretaceous. She had her first meeting with her earlier that day not long after she and Bob arrived. Thanks to her long hair, her communicator was hidden from view. Since she was not around too much employees, she found this time to be ideal to use her gift from Nigel.

Though the mammoth appeared imposing due to her size and huge tusks, Martha was a gentle giant. Hazel found it easy to find common ground with her. It was even easier to strike up conversations with the Ice Age denizen. In fact, Martha was also the first Resident she told her whole solo mission to. Hazel had yet to interact with the other Residents she was able to speak to. The mammoth was intrigued by the trip Hazel undertook. She always asked questions on what she saw, the dangers she encountered, and the trials she overcame. The new friends she made along the way also interested her, but she found that one topic made the human oddly hesitant. Her voice trailed off when she mentioned she made companions along the way, and only mentioned a couple of names before becoming silent.

She saw Hazel's excited personality become overshadowed by a sense of sadness. She watched her slowly turn towards the direction of the new plains being prepared.

"You miss them, don't you?"

Her head snapped towards the megafauna. Insecurity dominated her features. She looked away for a moment and then sighed.

"I'm that easy to read...aren't I?"

"Call it a woman's intuition, but you are right. Your emotions are very noticeable," Martha replied.

She then placed her trunk on the girl's shoulder. Her thick, furry proboscis gently squeezed her like a mother would to her daughter when she was troubled. Hazel looked at her, a small tear falling down her cheek.

"Don't worry, young one. You will see them again. If not tomorrow, then very soon."

"But, when I get back after their living space here is finished, what if they forget about me?" she asked blatantly.

Martha rumbled with laughter for a moment, slightly surprising her because she could have sworn the ground shook a little. "Why would they forget about you? From what you have told me earlier, it seems like you made quite an impression on them during your quest. If anything, they would be pleased to see you return to them."

"Just have faith young one," she reassured again. Her trunk gently squeezed her shoulder and then ruffled her head a little. Hazel giggled as the appendage ran through her hair. Once it released her hold, she quickly fixed up the tangled strands with a few hand swipes.

Just then, a man screaming diverted their attention towards the direction of the herd. Swerving around, the human and mammoth took in the amusing sight of Bob running away from a young elephant calf. In her trunk was an oversized, blue butterfly net used to wrangle the _Pulmonoscorpius_ and the _Meganeura_ dragonfly in the bug house for movement. How she managed to get that butterfly net from the other side of the park was beyond them. The little pachyderm's loud squeaky trumpeting served as an indication of enjoyment. But Bob appeared to not be in the same boat.

"Mikiya! Quit doing that! That net is not a toy!" Bob hollered, just barely missing a swipe from the net above his head.

If their little "game" attracted Hazel and Martha's attention, then it surely got the rest of the herd's interest. They groaned and trumpeted in amusement as their youngest member played "catch the keeper" with the Park's head keeper. The enjoyment in the young elephant's expression disappeared when a slightly larger elephant muscled her way to the front of the herd.

Hazel knew this elephant. The female's strong stature and her longer-than-normal tusks denoted her as Mujaji, the herd's matriarch. And the loud groans she was emitting along with the stomps she was making with her front paws indicated irritation.

Almost immediately, the calf squealed in terror. The elder female gave chase after the calf, cutting off the chase after Bob. The poor keeper looked over for a moment to see the baby pachyderm run in the other direction. He bent over and gasped for air, at long last.

Mikiya threw the net away and trailed off towards the direction of the park. The matriarch chased after the young elephant, all the while trumpeting furiously. A trail of dust and kicked up grass was created from the new chase that occurred.

Hazel, Martha, the elephant herd, and even Bob who just recovered, all laughed as they watched the angry mother chase after her mischievous daughter.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few days later...Nigel's Den

Nigel pressed the power button of his asphalt grey and black Dell laptop. The computer whirred to life for a moment before becoming silent. The once pitch-dark screen illuminated to a dull grey with the image of the Windows 10 logo. Within a matter of moments, the screen transitioned to that of green wallpaper with Prehistoric Park's insignia. The symbol of the park contained an _Apatosaurus_ craning its neck over the lettering of the sanctuary. Its body only slightly fit through the hole that was surrounded by the park's label. The dinosaur had a chunk of the logo in its mouth, where a small gap was positioned in between the R and I in "Prehistoric".

Pressing the spacebar, a password text box appeared. Nigel quickly typed in his password, causing his screen to minutely transition. That same wallpaper then contained many programs off to the left side, and gained a start-up taskbar at the bottom.

Nearby him was a man around his mid-twenties. His messy, black hair had bits of sweat at the tips. His skin was like that of hazelnut, which shimmered under the sun from the sweat he got from working on his job. The man's attire consisted of a dark brown T-shirt with the insignia of a Triceratops skull on the front and ripped denim jeans. Around his waist was a belt with all sorts of tools mechanics would use in workshops. If his attire was any indication, this was Marcus Rey, Prehistoric Park's head engineer.

Nigel personally called Marcus over to his office to help him set up the small camera he retrieved from Hazel's bag, though the engineer had no idea on why his boss would install this thing in the first place. The man was bent over, his elbows on Nigel's desk. His fingers intricately worked around the camera to find the main panel. Once he found it, he pulled on the small latch in the side of the object and pried it open. He then got the small micro USB wire that was positioned next to his superior's laptop and plugged both contraptions together.

The computer sounded off with a musical beep. A medium-sized screen popped up as soon as the sound ended. At first, it was white, but then it turned dark and showed the main menu for the video camera viewing. On the side of the program were programs where the user could view the videos they recorded, edit the videos, check the schematics on the camera, and even change the camera settings.

The reason why Nigel called Marcus over was because the program needed to be installed. The engineer was the one who created the camera, so it was his program to begin with. This was actually the second time Nigel turned the computer on during the last hour. Before, Marcus was installing the program into his laptop, which took nearly an hour due to how big the program was.

"Alright, that should do it," Marcus said, straightening himself up. "It's pretty straightforward from here on out. All you have to do is go to the View My Videos option, and presto! You can view everything that was recorded on this thing."

"Thanks Marcus. Your GoPro program is really useful. We'll have to consider using it during our expeditions from now on."

"Ah, don't sweat it," Marcus chuckled. He wiped his forehead with on hand swipe to get rid of some sweat. "The camera doesn't seem to have anything broken on it. I guess wherever you installed it in Hazel's bag was a safe spot. There weren't any loose wires or broken bits anywhere."

"Though I am curious..." the man placed his hands on his hips.

Nigel eyed him with interest on what his subordinate has to say.

"Why are you so interested in Hazel's stuff? Or better yet, why keep this from Hazel? Shouldn't she know that her trips are being recorded?"

The zoologist gave him an intuitive look. His expression slightly confused the employee. "If I know Hazel, she was most likely too focused with her travels rather than record everything she was doing. This camera served as a way to do what she was supposed to do. In other words, it's serving as a cushion for her and a way to see what she's been doing."

"Okay...but why not tell her?"

"Let's just say I'm planning to reveal it to her when the time is right. A gift, if you would," Nigel simply told him.

"Alright, whatever you say boss," he shrugged his shoulders. "But if you're going to make that a gift for Hazel AND show it to us sometime, maybe you should let Cameron in on this too?"

Anyone who worked at Prehistoric Park would know who Cameron was. He was the head of the recording team in the Park and was responsible for recording everything that happens on camera. The reason why they were recording everything was so that they had a way of documenting what goes on in the park. It was kind of like having a video journal in a way. Or better yet, it was like having a diary.

Revealing what happens in this park to the public would surely bring about consequences. Chaos in the scientific community would stir up and other cultures would not agree with their way of life. The world was not ready to know Earth's creatures of the past were coming back.

"No, it's quite alright Marcus. I've got this," Nigel said, lifting a hand up in reassurance.

"Okay then...whatever you say," he said dismissively, though confusion was apparent in his tone.

"Just let me know if you need anything else."

"I will. Thank you Marcus."

The man turned away and walked on the bridge leading to the next connecting wooden pavilion. Nigel watched him go from one tower to the next under the trees of this forest obscured the retreating employee from view. Once he knew he was gone, the zoologist breathed out a sigh.

"Phew, that was close. On to business."

He followed the engineer's directions and made it to the part of the program where he could view Hazel's recorded adventure. The camera was set up in a way where each segment of the recording was separated into days. In this case, 14 videos showed up on the black background screen of the video program. The videos were showing as file folders, but they did show numbers and letters that indicated the date and time of the segment.

As he moved his touchpad with his finger so the cursor could go to the first file, he could not help but reflect on why he had to be secretive to everyone else. His prototype communicator was his first breakthrough on humans getting in touch with nature on a more intimate level. He also felt that Hazel was better suited to it because she easily connected with the Residents within a short amount of time when she began working in the Park. If anyone got wind of a new piece of technology that would allow them to have that privilege, two outcomes would ensue.

One on hand, the scientific breakthrough would mean everyone would be overjoyed that they could finally understand their neighbors. There would be no need to do guess work when determining their ailments, whether they be social or physical. Everyone could be brought closer together and things in the Park would be much easier. Plus, everyone would live together in harmony, not that they already are now.

On the other hand, if the reveal of this new technology, Nigel feared of the possibility that people would use the communicator for their own selfish reasons. They would steal the invention and show it off to the public. People around the world would pine for it and demand to have copies of their own. It was a horrible money-making scheme. Not only that, but people could also use it in negative manners such as controlling animals, if they put in the right modifications.

Nigel feared that negative outcome. He was unsure of the positive outcome too. But if there was one thing he was feeling now, it was that he felt sorry for his employees. They were missing out on another part of their world, a hidden part. And in a way, he was too. He did tell Hazel that he preferred his "think and guess" tactic on the Residents, but now he was contemplating his decision. Was it the right one? Perhaps he should let Marcus in on this. He could keep a secret. Plus, he is more than capable of copying the technology and making more of them.

"No, not yet. Everyone around here is trustworthy, but we can't jump the gun just yet. It's too soon. The communicator is still incomplete and needs to go through some more testing. Perhaps some more modifications too."

And wait he shall. Becoming one with nature is a gift, not a prospect. The day will come when the Park will have its way of connecting with their animal neighbors.

The time traveler double-clicked on the very first file folder on the program. Another screen appeared that overlapped the previous one. At first, it was dark, but after a few seconds, a video-playing panel materialized at the bottom of the screen.

The image was of Nigel installing the camera into Hazel's bag strap while she slept. The room in the picture was barely noticeable, but he could make out the shine of the mini flashlight he had with him that he held in his teeth. Knowing that this part was unnecessary, he made a note to himself to delete it as soon as possible.

He then dragged the video cursor to the middle of the video. The images sped by like a broken slideshow. By the time he got to his destination, he was looking at the image of the Time Portal whirring in the early hours of the morning.

Nigel clicked the play button. The video resumed, showing Hazel walking through the portal, leaving the Park behind. A luminous screen of the Time Portal radiation passed over the camera like a thin film before becoming clear again. The image before him now was that of a vast desert, similar to that of the deserts in the United States. The sun in the distance was peaking just above the horizon. Soon, the Late Cretaceous wasteland would be bathing in the sun's unforgiving heat.

"Time to see this story for myself," Nigel mused.

He spent the rest of the day, holed up in his study, watching Hazel's amazing adventure into the past.


End file.
